Legal Ethics

  • June 01, 2026

    Mich. Panel Backs Conversion Ruling Against Disbarred Atty

    A Michigan appellate panel has said a disbarred northeastern Michigan attorney's decision not to back up her arguments sank her appeal arising from a lawsuit accusing her of converting or embezzling trust funds, affirming summary disposition against the attorney and saying she "simply failed to brief the issue."

  • June 01, 2026

    1st Circ. Says BIA Botched Reopening Bid Over Late Brief

    A First Circuit panel said the Board of Immigration Appeals abused its discretion when rejecting a Colombian woman's attempts to continue her fight against deportation, finding she was likely prejudiced by ineffective counsel.

  • June 01, 2026

    Suspended Fla. Lawyer's Bankruptcy Case Thrown Out

    A Florida bankruptcy court judge has dismissed the Chapter 13 case of a suspended lawyer facing state bar disciplinary charges over allegations that he defrauded dozens of clients by charging them legal fees for cases that he abandoned.

  • June 01, 2026

    As Judicial AI Use Gains Steam, Training Lags

    Court systems around the country are emerging bullish on the use of generative artificial intelligence by judicial officers, but implementation, training, resources and overall regulations remain scattershot, giving rise to concerns that a learning gap could lead to missteps.

  • June 01, 2026

    Fla. Judge Again Loses Bid To Dismiss Ethics Charges

    A Florida judicial panel has for a second time denied a Florida appellate judge's bid to dismiss an ethics case accusing her of attempting to influence lower court proceedings for an incarcerated man formerly on death row.

  • June 01, 2026

    Okla. Firm Wants Malpractice Suit Over $92M Verdict Tossed

    An Oklahoma-based law firm is urging a federal court to toss a suit alleging its negligence in representing a Munich Re unit in a coverage dispute over an apartment fire is to blame for a $92 million judgment, saying the suit fails to show an actual malpractice claim.

  • May 29, 2026

    Calif. Panel Reverses Order For Citing Atty's Bogus Case Law

    A California appellate panel on Thursday reversed a judgment in favor of a man accused of abusing his son, finding that "without doubt" the trial judge abused her discretion by incorporating the man's bogus legal citations into her ruling, despite being alerted to the mistakes in advance.

  • May 29, 2026

    NC Prosecutors Oppose Criminal Contempt For Witness

    A woman who was allegedly punched in the face by an attorney should not have been held in criminal contempt for giving too much hearsay testimony, North Carolina prosecutors told a state appeals court.

  • May 29, 2026

    Akin Gump Owes Fees For Winebow's 'Self-Indulgent' Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered an importer's Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP attorneys to pay a European winemaker fees for having to defend against the importer's "spurious objections" to the winemaker's valid arbitral award, ruling that the importer's "self-indulgent" appeal warrants sanctions in the form of fees.

  • May 29, 2026

    Lockheed Beats Families' Birth Defects Suit At Trial

    A Florida federal jury returned a defense verdict in favor of Lockheed Martin Corp. after finding the company's chemical handling practices at an Orlando weapons manufacturing facility did not cause birth defects.

  • May 29, 2026

    Telecom Shareholders Seek Fees Over 'Frivolous' Stay Bid

    Minority shareholders of a telecommunications infrastructure company have pressed a New York federal judge to order the majority shareholders to pay attorney fees incurred while defending against what the judge called one of the most "frivolous" stay requests he has ever seen.

  • May 29, 2026

    NY Judge Doubts Nussbaum-Linked Firms Belong In Ch. 11

    A New York bankruptcy judge on Friday questioned whether his court was the proper venue to wind down two commercial real estate law firms headed by Mark J. Nussbaum as the debtors sought to ditch an assignment for the benefit of creditors process in New York state court.

  • May 29, 2026

    Fed. Judge Rips Altice, Touchstream For Patent Case Delays

    A New York federal judge denied broadband and video provider Altice's request for judgment on the pleadings in patent litigation brought by Touchstream Technologies, calling it "a delayed, misfiled, hyper-technical and largely meritless motion," while criticizing Touchstream as "also responsible for tactical decisions which led to significant delays."

  • May 29, 2026

    Texas Justices To Weigh Attys' $126K Sanction In Horse Row

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear a petition from two law firms and a veterinary center in which they dispute a roughly $126,000 sanction imposed on counsel after alleged violations of a limine agreement, leading to a mistrial.

  • May 29, 2026

    Fla. Panel Revives Firm's Suit Over Tobacco Case Referrals

    A Florida state appellate court revived a law firm's complaint alleging tortious interference against a widow over a contingency fee agreement involving tobacco injury case referrals, finding that the lower court wrongly tossed the lawsuit based on extraneous information even though there was sufficient evidence to support a claim.

  • May 29, 2026

    Calif. Supreme Court OKs Challenges To Blanket Judge DQs

    The California Supreme Court has opened the door to challenges to blanket judicial disqualifications across the largest state court system in the country, partially overturning a precedent established nearly 50 years ago.

  • May 29, 2026

    Georgia Lawyer Again Seeks To DQ Judge Over Bar Referral

    A Georgia attorney has launched at least the second attempt to disqualify a federal judge from presiding over a case he is handling because the judge previously referred him to the state bar, alleging ethics violations.

  • May 29, 2026

    Ex-Judge's Move To Firm Earns DQ In Fla. Divorce Case

    A Florida appeals court ruled Friday that a Daytona Beach law firm should have been disqualified from representing a man in a divorce proceeding for failing to provide proper notice that a judge who previously oversaw the case had joined the firm as a partner.

  • May 29, 2026

    Dems Say DOJ Blocked Bondi On Trump Questions

    Democrats were incensed on Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice attorneys who accompanied former Attorney General Pam Bondi to her committee interview stopped her from answering questions about President Donald Trump.

  • May 29, 2026

    White House Says It's Following Presidential Records Law

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge that it is complying with his injunction last week requiring White House staff to follow record-keeping rules set out in the Presidential Records Act, but signalled that it may appeal the ruling in the future.

  • May 28, 2026

    3M, DuPont Lose PFAS Forum-Shopping Sanctions Bid

    A Montana federal judge Thursday declined to sanction Connecticut municipalities for moving firefighter turnout gear PFAS claims to his jurisdiction after roughly two years of litigation on the East Coast, ruling that consolidation of the claims "regardless of district" is "beneficial to all parties."

  • May 28, 2026

    Injury Law Roundup: Freight Brokers, Uber Lose Key Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court's green light of negligent hiring claims against freight brokers in highway crash cases and an adverse verdict against Uber in the sexual assault multidistrict litigation lead Law360's Injury Law Roundup.

  • May 28, 2026

    Pa. Panel Orders Judge Replaced In Sex Abuse Retrial

    A county judge must step aside for the retrial of an accused child sex offender, a Pennsylvania appeals court said Thursday, finding that, because the judge repeatedly declared that the man was innocent of the crimes in a prior proceeding, his impartiality was questionable.

  • May 28, 2026

    IRS Ordered To Repay Law Firm $1.5M For Mistaken Levy

    A Maryland federal court ordered the U.S. government to pay back over $1.5 million to a Baltimore law firm, finding the government failed to prove the firm is an alter ego of one of its clients that failed to pay its corporate taxes.

  • May 28, 2026

    Parents Demand 'Bad Faith' Sanctions In Camp Mystic Case

    Camp Mystic in Texas' Hill Country should be sanctioned over "bad faith" conduct in litigation over flooding deaths last summer, including purported misrepresentations to courts and regulators and an alleged remark by one of its attorneys to a plaintiffs' lawyer that he would "burn in hell," a state court has been told.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Shows Procedural Perils Of Civil Forfeiture

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    The Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Ross decision, partially denying the return of an attorney's seized funds based on rigid standing requirements, underscores the unforgiving technical complexities of civil asset forfeiture law, and provides several lessons for practitioners, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

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    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

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    As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • Health, Legal Employers Face Unique Online Speech Hurdles

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    Employers in the legal and healthcare industries must consider distinctive ethical obligations and professional requirements when disciplining employees for social media posts, while anticipating an area of the law in flux as courts seek to balance speech rights and the workplace function, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • 3 Defense Strategies For Sporadically Prosecuted Conduct

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    Not to be confused with selective prosecutions, sporadic prosecutions — charging someone for conduct many others do without consequences — can be challenging to defend, but focusing on materiality, prosecutorial motivations and public opinion can be a winning strategy, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

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    Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

  • Opinion

    Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

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    While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Knitting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Stretching my skills as a knitter makes me a better antitrust attorney by challenging me to recalibrate after wrong turns, not rush outcomes, and trust that I can teach myself the skills to tackle new and difficult projects — even when I don’t have a pattern to work from, says Kara Kuritz at V&E.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

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    After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

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