Legal Ethics

  • November 18, 2025

    Miss America Fight Heats Up With Competing Sanctions Bid

    In a Florida federal court battle over the ownership of the Miss America pageant, the defendants have filed a competing sanctions motion against the plaintiffs and their counsel for "false narratives" following the latter parties' own bid for sanctions filed in September.

  • November 18, 2025

    NY AG James Blasts 'Outrageous Conduct' Behind Indictment

    New York Attorney General Letitia A. James has told a Virginia federal court to dismiss the U.S. government's indictment of her, calling it "patently unconstitutional" and "outrageous conduct."

  • November 18, 2025

    Federal Watchdog Funds Released After Bipartisan Pushback

    The independent agency for federal watchdogs has been brought back to life with the White House budget office restoring its funding.

  • November 18, 2025

    Latino Atty Drops Bias, Retaliation Suit Against Va. Law Firm

    A Latino former managing partner for an employee-side law firm told a Maryland federal court Tuesday that he agreed to end his lawsuit claiming he was fired for flagging bias and advocating to raise a Black attorney's pay.

  • November 18, 2025

    Disbarred NC Atty Must Pay $5.2M For Escrow Fund Misuse

    A disbarred attorney was ordered to pay $5.2 million in restitution and serve four years of probation during a Tuesday sentencing hearing in North Carolina federal court, after he pled guilty to a criminal wire fraud charge related to the misuse of escrow funds.

  • November 18, 2025

    Redfin Investor Denied Atty Fees For Rocket Cos. Merger Suit

    A Washington federal judge has denied a Redfin investor an award of $450,000 in legal fees to counsel at Monteverde & Associates PC and Wohl & Fruchter LLP after the judge determined that the investor failed to show that his efforts produced material benefits for shareholders voting on Redfin's merger with Rocket Cos. Inc.

  • November 18, 2025

    Sanctioned Atty Convinces Mo. Court Errors Not Caused By AI

    A Missouri federal judge sanctioned former counsel for Liberty Mutual Personal Insurance Co. Monday for including citation errors in a motion this fall, finding that, although the attorney likely inserted the errors herself without the use of AI software, "such carelessness, exacerbated by a lack of internal guardrails, is entirely unacceptable."

  • November 18, 2025

    Republican Senators Seek Judge Boasberg's Suspension

    Six Republican senators, three of whom sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, are asking that Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg of the District of Columbia be administratively suspended while Congress considers his impeachment.

  • November 18, 2025

    Conn. Atty Fined $500 For AI-Generated Errors In Wage Suit

    In an order that noted an attorney's remorse, a Connecticut federal judge sanctioned a solo practitioner $500 this week for submitting a brief packed with false, AI-generated case citations, finding the fake authorities wasted court resources, risked misleading a pro se litigant and undermined trust in the judicial system.

  • November 18, 2025

    NJ Township Seeks To Revise $2.5B DuPont PFAS Settlement

    Carneys Point Township, New Jersey, is aiming to intervene in the state's federal suit against E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and others over PFAS contamination, saying a settlement of more than $2.5 billion interferes with its own claims against the company.

  • November 17, 2025

    BNP Asks Judge To Overturn $21M Sudan Refugee Verdict

    BNP Paribas has asked a New York federal judge to reverse a recent $21 million bellwether verdict won by three Sudanese refugees who claim that the French bank contributed to longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir's atrocities, arguing that the jury's verdict and damages awards are inconsistent with Swiss law, which governs the suit.

  • November 17, 2025

    DOJ Defends HPE Merger Deal As 'Prudent Compromise'

    The Justice Department told a California federal judge to pay no heed to the "politicians and advocacy groups" opposing the controversial settlement clearing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, arguing their concerns about improper lobbying influence are outside the scope of the court's review.

  • November 17, 2025

    Atty 'Misplaced' Trust In Par Funding Promoter, Panel Hears

    A former Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC attorney accused of ethical violations related to promoting the Par Funding merchant cash advance business told a Pennsylvania disciplinary panel Monday that all he did was zealously represent his client, who pitched the ill-fated enterprise to potential investors.

  • November 17, 2025

    Wis. Judge And Feds Clash Over ICE Arrest Trial Rules

    Federal prosecutors and a Wisconsin state judge are trading barbs over their respective motions ahead of an anticipated December trial over criminal charges alleging the judge attempted to hinder a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest this spring.

  • November 17, 2025

    Senator Slams Trump For 'Blowing Up' Wis. US Atty Process

    Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., accused President Donald Trump on Monday of skirting the process to nominate U.S. attorneys in Wisconsin with his pick of a failed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate for the office that covers Milwaukee.

  • November 17, 2025

    Feds Back IRS Agent Testimony In Goldstein Tax Case

    An Internal Revenue Service agent must be allowed to testify in Tom Goldstein's tax evasion case, the U.S. government said, arguing that the agent's testimony is relevant to proving willfulness in the tax crimes the U.S. Supreme Court attorney and SCOTUSblog publisher was charged with.

  • November 17, 2025

    ABA Decries Lawmaker Calls For Impeachments Of Judges

    The American Bar Association said on Monday it's "alarmed" by lawmakers' interest in impeaching judges just because they don't like their rulings.

  • November 17, 2025

    'Astounding' Holland & Knight Conduct Drives Liability Ruling

    Holland & Knight LLP has forfeited a malpractice lawsuit in Alaska by refusing to turn over information to a Native American corporation, with a state judge entering a default judgment as a sanction and calling the firm's conduct "a head scratcher" and "astounding."

  • November 17, 2025

    Uber's Fraud Claims Against LA Firms Is 'Fantasy,' Court Told

    Two Los Angeles personal injury firms are asking a California federal court to toss a lawsuit alleging Uber is being targeted by a scheme involving fraudulent personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle accidents, with one of them calling the purported scheme a "mere fantasy."

  • November 17, 2025

    Georgia Hospital System Says Judge DQ Bid Arrived Too Late

    A Georgia healthcare provider said a Florida couple waited too late in moving to have a Georgia federal judge disqualify herself from presiding over their medical malpractice case, accusing them of "judge shopping."

  • November 17, 2025

    Judge Orders Grand Jury Docs Released In Comey Case

    A Virginia federal magistrate judge Monday ordered the disclosure of all grand jury materials related to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, saying government misconduct may have tainted the grand jury proceedings.

  • November 17, 2025

    Gibson Dunn Seeks Exit From Josh Cellars TM Royalties Case

    With a February trial date looming, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has asked a Connecticut state judge's permission to stop representing the former president of a company behind the popular "Josh Cellars" wine brand, claiming unpaid legal bills and an alleged breakdown of the attorney-client relationship require its withdrawal.

  • November 17, 2025

    Ex-USC Coach Says 'Varsity Blues' Prosecutors Hid Evidence

    A former University of Southern California water polo coach asked a federal judge for a new trial in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case, arguing that prosecutors knew USC officials were aware that undeserving applicants were being passed off as recruited athletes.

  • November 17, 2025

    DOJ Backs White House's Military Lawyer Transfers

    A newly released legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice says the Trump administration is allowed to detail military lawyers to serve as immigration judges and special assistant U.S. attorneys in the District of Columbia.

  • November 17, 2025

    New DNA Analysis Enough For Murder Case, Calif. Panel Says

    A California man can be charged with murder decades after the crime, as DNA evidence analyzed using new techniques has linked him to the San Diego killing, a state appeals court said, reversing a trial court's dismissal of the case.

Expert Analysis

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Arbitrator's Conviction Upheld

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    The Supreme Court of Spain recently upheld the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa for grave disobedience to judicial authority, rejecting the proposition that an arbitrator's independence can prevail over a court order retroactively disabling the very judicial act conferring arbitral jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

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    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Reel Justice: 'One Battle After Another' And The Limits Of Zeal

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    The political thriller “One Battle After Another,” following a former revolutionary who became a recluse, offers a potent metaphor for attorneys on diligence and the ethical boundaries of zealous advocacy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • 6th Circ. FirstEnergy Ruling Protects Key Legal Privileges

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent grant of mandamus relief in In re: First Energy Corp. confirms that the attorney-client privilege and work-product protections apply to internal investigation materials, ultimately advancing the public interest, say attorneys at Cooley.

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