Legal Ethics

  • October 03, 2025

    NIH Sets Patent License Policy Aimed At Promoting Access

    The National Institutes Of Health has implemented a new policy that was proposed during the Biden administration to require those seeking commercial licenses to NIH-owned patents to detail how they will promote patient access for new drugs or medical devices they develop.

  • October 03, 2025

    Logistics, Grocery Cos. Can't Keep Wage Suit In Fed. Court

    Inflated damages calculations and speculative attorney fee estimates can't keep a worker's suit accusing a logistics company and a wholesale grocery store chain of wage and hour violations in federal court, a California federal judge said Friday, vacating an earlier arbitration order.

  • October 03, 2025

    Debtors, Mich. Creditor Firm Seek OK On Interest Rate Deal

    Debtors and a Michigan creditor law firm asked a Michigan federal judge to approve a settlement agreement valued at about $9 million to resolve claims the law firm charged unlawfully high post-judgment interest rates on debt collection actions.

  • October 03, 2025

    Fox Rothschild Rips 'Illogical" Docs Bid In Lit Funding Suit

    Fox Rothschild LLP panned as "frivolous" a discovery motion from a married couple suing the law firm over its alleged role in a scheme to push the husband into exorbitant loans during a personal injury case, the firm told a New Jersey state court.

  • October 03, 2025

    DOJ Wants Atty Jailed For Blogging After Cyberstalking Arrest

    Federal prosecutors want to detain a Texas attorney who is accused of cyberstalking two other lawyers, claiming she violated the terms of her pretrial release by posting personal information about her alleged victims on her website.

  • October 03, 2025

    Miami Beats Suit Over Alleged RE Plot Involving Ex-City Atty

    A Florida state appeals court reversed the denial of the city of Miami's motion to dismiss a civil conspiracy claim brought against it by a man who accused city workers of conspiring with the former city attorney and her husband to purchase houses with multiple code violations at below-market value and sell them for a profit.

  • October 03, 2025

    Jackson Walker, Ex-Insurer Settle Judge Romance Claims

    In the latest settlement with Jackson Walker over a former partner's secret romance with an ex-bankruptcy judge, the litigation trustee for defunct life insurance bond settler GWG Holdings Inc. reached a $405,000 deal Friday to settle its claims against the law firm.

  • October 03, 2025

    NY Atty's Big Mouth Wins Client New Trial

    A New York appeals court has reversed a man's 6½-year sentence for weapons possession and granted him a new trial after finding his defense attorney "created an actual conflict of interest by prematurely disclosing confidential information to the court."

  • October 03, 2025

    Vanderbilt Law Grad Says Wrongful Conviction Ruined Dream

    A graduate of the prestigious Vanderbilt Law School has been shut out of the legal profession for years because Connecticut police and his own criminal defense attorneys worked to ensure that he was wrongfully convicted of assault, according to a civil rights and legal malpractice lawsuit this week removed to federal court.

  • October 03, 2025

    Ga. Judge 'Cannot Be Trusted,' Must Leave Bench, Panel Says

    The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission is recommending that a judge who gave dishonest testimony regarding wide-ranging allegations of misconduct, including the illegal arrest and false imprisonment of a witness, should be kicked off the bench, saying that a judge who "cannot be trusted to tell the truth cannot be trusted to remain in office."

  • October 03, 2025

    Newman Opposes Fed. Circ.'s Stay Bid Amid Shutdown

    The government shutdown is no excuse to halt proceedings in Judge Pauline Newman's case for reinstatement to the Federal Circuit, the judge said in an opposition, noting in a Friday filing that the Federal Circuit was seeking to delay its own litigation while pledging to deny similar motions that come before it.

  • October 03, 2025

    Calif. Bar Launches Randomized Client Trust Fund Audits

    Attorneys in California should be on the lookout for notifications from the state bar regarding client trust fund compliance reviews, as the organization kicks off a five-week mandatory review program during which a small cross-sample of Golden State lawyers will be asked to open their books.

  • October 03, 2025

    Deceased IP Attys' Names Worth $55K, Conn. Judge Rules

    A Connecticut federal judge has declined to upend an expert's valuation amounting to $54,775 in a trademark infringement suit over the names of deceased law partners that appear in the masthead of intellectual property firm Ohlandt Greeley Ruggiero & Perle LLP, determining such a change is unwarranted.

  • October 03, 2025

    The Roberts Court At 20: How The Chief Is Reshaping America

    Twenty years after John Roberts became the 17th chief justice of the United States, he faces a U.S. Supreme Court term that's looking transformative for the country and its institutions. How Justice Roberts and his colleagues navigate mounting distrust in the judiciary and set the boundaries of presidential authority appear increasingly likely to define his time leading the court.

  • October 03, 2025

    Reed Smith Blasts DQ Attempt As 'Litigation Gamesmanship'

    A shareholder of the Venezuelan airline Avior Airlines has urged a Florida federal judge to reject a bid to disqualify his counsel at Reed Smith LLP and attorney Ana R. Ulseth, arguing that the push to disqualify the firm is not about ethics but rather "litigation gamesmanship."

  • October 02, 2025

    Jackson Walker Can't Duck Judge Romance Suit, Court Told

    A group of bondholders Thursday urged a Texas federal judge not to throw out its suit over a former Jackson Walker LLP partner's secret romance with a bankruptcy judge, arguing that the firm "has a problem with telling the truth" and it's "back at it again."

  • October 02, 2025

    NC Court Rejects McGuireWoods' Immunity In Defamation Suit

    A North Carolina appellate court dismissed an interlocutory appeal by McGuireWoods and a former partner in a defamation case over statements about an investigation into the onetime CEO of a managed care organization during a press conference, reiterating its opinion that the statements were "too far afield" to be considered part of a judicial proceeding.

  • October 02, 2025

    Netflix Escapes Documentary IP Suit From Atty's Film Co.

    A film company owned by a trial lawyer this week lost its lawsuit accusing Netflix Inc. of infringing a copyright in its documentary about sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America, with a New Jersey federal judge finding the film deals with uncopyrightable facts.

  • October 02, 2025

    Dentons, Boies Schiller Escape $300M Fraud Suit

    A New York federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a $300 million fraud and racketeering lawsuit brought against Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, in which the BigLaw firms were accused of misleading a former client with respect to a deal, and later arbitration, involving Senegal's state-owned energy company.

  • October 02, 2025

    4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In September

    One attorney scored an early exit from a malpractice suit, another must face a long-delayed arbitration, and a judge has requested more information on a proposed settlement in a class action brought by gamblers at a Massachusetts casino. Here are four rulings from Suffolk Superior Court's business litigation session in September.

  • October 02, 2025

    Ex-Firm Can't Revive Malicious Prosecution Suit In 11th Circ.

    The Eleventh Circuit has refused to overturn lower court rulings nixing a malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by a now-defunct law firm against a surgical center, as well as a sanctions ruling against the firm's counsel.

  • October 02, 2025

    Gov't Shutdown Halts Fed. Circ. Response In Newman Case

    The Federal Circuit has asked the D.C. Circuit for permission to extend a deadline to respond to U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's petition for an en banc rehearing to reconsider her suspension, citing the ongoing government shutdown.

  • October 02, 2025

    DOJ Beats Heritage Foundation Suit Over Hunter Biden Docs

    A Delaware federal judge has ruled against The Heritage Foundation in its Freedom of Information Act suit against the U.S. Department of Justice regarding documents withheld detailing the investigation of Hunter Biden, saying the government "adequately established" that harm would result from releasing the records.

  • October 02, 2025

    Comey's 1st Task: Decoding A Cryptic Indictment

    The criminal indictment of James B. Comey is unusually sparse for such a high-profile matter, leaving open questions for the ex-FBI director to probe that could shed more light on how the government intends to prove its case and create potential lines of attack for the defense, experts say.

  • October 02, 2025

    Attys Get Mixed NJ Discipline After Fraud Convictions

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has disbarred ex-Sacks Weston attorney Scott Diamond from the practice of law in the Garden State following his conviction for fraudulently resolving cases behind the back of his old firm, according to filings issued Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

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    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

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    District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Explicit Pic Takedown Law Casts A Wide Net

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    With a surprisingly broad range of online platforms potentially subject to the new Take It Down Act’s process for removing revenge porn or explicit deepfakes, all services that allow user interaction or content hosting should proactively evaluate their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance, say attorneys at Goodwin, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Spoliation Of Evidence Is A Risky And Shortsighted Strategy

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    Destroying self-incriminating evidence to avoid a large judgment may seem like an attractive option to some defendants, but it is a shortsighted strategy that affords the nonspoliating party potentially case-terminating remedies, and support for a direct assault on the spoliator’s credibility, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable

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    The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

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