Legal Ethics

  • October 28, 2025

    Fla. Judge DQs Lawyer In SEC Malpractice Case

    A Miami U.S. magistrate judge on Tuesday disqualified Boca Raton, Florida-based attorney Andre Raikhelson from representing the plaintiff in a legal malpractice suit over alleged bad advice in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement action, finding that he's a "central figure" and necessary witness to key disputed facts.

  • October 28, 2025

    Comey Gets Backing Of Ex-DOJ Officials, Lawmakers, Judges

    More than 100 former U.S. Department of Justice officials, a group of former federal judges and U.S. attorneys, current and former members of Congress, and a nonprofit focused on defending democracy are all backing former FBI Director James Comey's effort to nix his criminal prosecution.

  • October 28, 2025

    Ga. Defamation Case Against Atty Hinges On Doctor's Status

    The Georgia Court of Appeals asked a trial court Tuesday to determine whether an orthopedic surgeon in the Peach State is a public figure or private person, a question at the center of whether the physician can pursue a defamation suit against a defense attorney.

  • October 28, 2025

    Jackson Walker Atty Romance Deal Blasted As 'Collusion'

    A proposed settlement between Jackson Walker LLP and defunct life insurance bond seller GWG Holdings Inc. over a former Jackson Walker partner's secret romance with an ex-bankruptcy judge should be rejected because the deal "smacks of collusion," according to a recent objection.

  • October 28, 2025

    Mass. Bar Reprimands Ex-US Atty Rollins Over Leak, Texts

    A divided panel of state bar regulators voted to publicly reprimand former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins for leaking confidential material about an investigation to a reporter and then trying to deflect suspicion in a deceptive message to subordinates, a lawyer for Rollins confirmed Tuesday.

  • October 28, 2025

    Trump Appeals 'Unprecedented' NY Criminal Conviction

    President Donald Trump appealed his New York criminal conviction for falsifying business records, arguing the charges were defective, the jury was improperly instructed, the judge was biased and that he was immune from prosecution.

  • October 27, 2025

    Tom Hayes Slaps UBS With $400M Malicious Prosecution Suit

    Former UBS trader Tom Hayes has filed a $400 million suit against his old employer, claiming the company "maliciously" framed him as the "evil mastermind" behind the company's Libor scandal despite the fact that he was explicitly directed to try to influence Libor submissions while at UBS.

  • October 27, 2025

    Minn. Court Blocks Immediate Appeal In Pork Price-Fixing Suit

    A Minnesota federal court refused Monday to allow immediate appeals for its summary judgment ruling in multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing in the pork industry, saying certain pork producers and a benchmarking company have not properly articulated a controlling question of law.

  • October 27, 2025

    Girardi Keese Trustees Sue Over $3.2M Settlement Transfers

    Bankruptcy trustees for disgraced California attorney Tom Girardi's defunct law firm and New York attorney Joseph DiNardo have filed suit to recover more than $3.1 million they allege should have been paid to a gas explosion settlement victim, but instead went to help finance food and beverage businesses.

  • October 27, 2025

    Judge OKs $2.4M PeopleFacts Background Checks Deal

    A Michigan federal judge Monday approved a $2.4 million settlement that PeopleFacts reached with a class of job-seekers whose criminal history was disclosed to potential employers, after those prospective workers had accused the background check company of making such disclosures without providing necessary notice.

  • October 27, 2025

    PayPal Accused Of Hiding Evidence In Charity Donation Suit

    PayPal has been accused of abusing confidentiality rules by mislabeling documents as secret to unjustly shield its business practices from scrutiny amid a lengthening discovery dispute in a user's federal suit over the platform's charitable distributions.

  • October 27, 2025

    Former Mintz Client Files Negligence Suit Over Patent Work

    A former Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC client has hit the firm with a professional negligence suit in Texas federal court, saying the firm's allegedly "shoddy, substandard" legal work led to one of the company's patents being almost completely wiped out.

  • October 27, 2025

    Who Watches The Watchers? Conn. Justices Mull Court Bias

    A Connecticut Supreme Court justice said Monday that if the state's human rights watchdog cannot address claims of racial discrimination in attorney licensing, then there is "no oversight" when bias infects the process.

  • October 27, 2025

    NJ Town Atty Escapes Ethics Case Over Racial Remark

    The New Jersey Supreme Court dismissed an ethics charge against a municipal attorney over a controversial remark in 2021 referencing the U.S. Constitution's "three-fifths compromise," a clause in the original document that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of taxation and congressional representation.

  • October 27, 2025

    Ga. Panel Urged Not To 'Bend Over Backwards' For Judge

    Georgia ethics prosecutors told a state judicial watchdog on Monday to press ahead with removal of a probate judge from the bench over allegations of yearslong case delays, urging a hearing panel not to "bend over backwards" to keep him in office under something akin to judicial probation.

  • October 27, 2025

    Ga. State Judge Wrongly Jailed Woman, Suit Alleges

    An Alabama woman has claimed that a Georgia state judge violated her constitutional rights by improperly jailing her when she was a witness in the judge's courtroom, a move that came as a state commission is seeking the judge's removal from the bench over that and other alleged misconduct.

  • October 27, 2025

    Timeshare Co.'s Fee Dispute Sent Back To Fla. State Court

    A Florida federal judge sent a timeshare company's complaint disputing legal fees back to state court, finding that a law firm didn't show that the amount it seeks meets the $75,000 threshold to keep the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

  • October 27, 2025

    Gold Star Mother Seeks Early Win In NJ Malpractice Case

    The mother of a deceased Army service member moved for a default this week in New Jersey federal court against a law firm she has accused of mishandling her case against the Army after she was the victim of a fraud.

  • October 27, 2025

    R. Kelly's Prison Leak Suit Tossed Again For Missed Deadlines

    R&B artist R. Kelly, 58, who is serving a 31-year sentence for sexually exploiting children and other crimes, saw his Illinois federal suit alleging prison officers leaked his private information to journalists and others dismissed due to his lawyers' "glaring" failure to meet deadlines.

  • October 27, 2025

    Retention Races For Pa. Justices Turn Into $8M Political Clash

    Pennsylvania voters hoping for a quiet off-year election following last year's contentious presidential race have found themselves being targeted by millions of dollars worth of ads this fall over whether to give three Democratic members of the state's Supreme Court fresh 10-year terms on the bench.

  • October 24, 2025

    Judiciary Panel Eyes Rules For Class Cert., Litigation Funding

    Federal judiciary advisers set the stage Friday for new and far-reaching rules involving two sets of highly contentious topics: long-simmering demands for greater transparency in third-party litigation funding and calls for closer scrutiny of class action issues, including payouts to class counsel, certification standards and financial perks for plaintiffs.

  • October 24, 2025

    Gordon Rees 'Profoundly Embarrassed' By Atty's AI Mistakes

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLC has apologized to an Alabama bankruptcy court for a filing submitted by one of its lawyers that contained mistakes it blamed on artificial intelligence, saying it's "profoundly embarrassed" by the incident and will accept whatever sanctions end up being issued.

  • October 24, 2025

    Meta To Face Sanctions Bid Over Alleged Atty-Advice Fraud

    Plaintiffs told the California federal judge presiding over social media-addiction multidistrict litigation that Meta should be sanctioned after a D.C. court found Meta likely engaged in "crime, fraud, and/or misconduct" when, on the advice of counsel, it modified its research into Facebook's effects on teens' mental health to limit its liability.

  • October 24, 2025

    DC Circ. Wonders If Prosecutor's Bias Suit Was Killed Early

    The D.C. Circuit may revive the discrimination claims of an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington who says she was given more work than her white male colleagues, not because the panel took much stock in her claims, but because the lower court improperly quashed them.

  • October 24, 2025

    Man Wins New Rape Trial After Misguided Self-Representation

    A man convicted of raping a woman after offering her a ride home in 2018 has won the right to a new trial, arguing that he wasn't made aware of the pitfalls of representing himself and, specifically, the role of standby counsel, a Connecticut appeals court said in an opinion posted Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • What Lawyers Can Learn From High School AI Suit

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    A pending Massachusetts lawsuit regarding artificial intelligence use in an academic setting underscores the need for attorneys to educate themselves on AI technology and tools that affect their clients so they can advise on establishing clear expectations and limits around the permissible use of AI, say attorneys at Hinckley Allen.

  • Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks

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    A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content

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    Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records

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    Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Why States Should Adopt ABA's 'Duty To Inquire'

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    State bars should codify the American Bar Association's proposed rule on a lawyer's duty to scrutinize each representation as it provides guardrails for lawyers, supports self-regulation of the profession, and helps avert money laundering and other crimes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

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