Legal Ethics

  • May 29, 2025

    Ex-Atty's Death In Colo. Jail Sparks Suit Over Medical Neglect

    The family of a disbarred attorney imprisoned for felony theft sued three members of the medical staff at the prison where he died, alleging in Colorado federal court Wednesday their neglect resulted in Steven Bachar dying from cardiac arrest after he asked for days for proper medical attention.

  • May 29, 2025

    NJ Senate Panel Backs Prosecutor, 4 Judge Nominees

    Two New Jersey solo legal practitioners, a Ronan Tuzzio & Giannone litigator and a personal injury lawyer moved one step closer to state judgeships Thursday during a hearing in which lawmakers also greenlighted a federal enforcer's nomination for a county prosecutor role. 

  • May 29, 2025

    Calif. Justices Propose Tweaking Rules For Bar Examiners

    The California Supreme Court has proposed changes to the administration of the state's troubled bar exam, circulating a slate of amendments designed to clarify the role of the Committee of Bar Examiners, including spelling out its duty to review and approve all questions used in the exam.

  • May 29, 2025

    DOJ Sidelines ABA From Vetting Trump's Judicial Picks

    The Justice Department plans to direct judicial nominees away from a long-standing vetting process by the American Bar Association, labeling it an "activist organization," according to a Thursday letter by Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

  • May 29, 2025

    Investors Allege Manhattan Firm Aided $43M Ponzi Scheme

    A pair of investors filed suit against New York-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP and two of its former attorneys on Thursday, alleging that the midsize firm and the attorneys, who have since departed for Saul Ewing LLP, lied on behalf of a client who has since been charged with running a $43 million Ponzi scheme.

  • May 29, 2025

    Influencer Hits Akin With Malpractice Suit Over Boxing Deal

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and one of its Texas-based partners allegedly failed to understand California law in handling a financial dispute between a social media influencer and the company that hired him to participate in an amateur boxing competition, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in a Lone Star State federal court.

  • May 29, 2025

    Ga. Justices Nix Reprimand For Solicitor General Over Theft

    The Georgia Supreme Court has rejected former Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard's bid to receive a public reprimand after she pled guilty to stealing taxpayer dollars, finding that the suggested discipline is not enough.

  • May 29, 2025

    Insurer Wants Firm's $2.6M Malpractice Coverage Suit Tossed

    Berkshire unit National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. called on a Georgia federal judge this week to throw out a law firm's claims that it was hung out to dry by its insurers in a malpractice case, arguing the suit is an impermissible attempt to convert a contract dispute into a negligence claim.

  • May 29, 2025

    Mich. Judge Faces Watchdog Complaint For Disparaging Boss

    A Michigan state judge made profane, disparaging comments about his chief judge during livestreamed proceedings and via emails to court employees and improperly used his position to help a judicial candidate, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission said in a new complaint Wednesday.

  • May 29, 2025

    Car Dealership Settles Bias Case On Heels Of Recusal Bid

    A Philadelphia auto dealership has resolved a former manager's suit in Pennsylvania federal court claiming her boss made inappropriate sexual remarks and propositioned her nearly every day, days after the company said a magistrate judge was inappropriately pushing it to settle.

  • May 29, 2025

    Fla. Panel Affirms Atty Conflict DQ In Construction Dispute

    In a one-word opinion, Florida's Third District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court's decision to disqualify a plaintiff's attorney in a long-running construction ownership dispute after finding he briefly represented the defendant's surety company in a related matter.

  • May 28, 2025

    Nonprofits Can't Halt Attorney Executive's Discipline Case

    Two judicial reform-focused organizations whose main executive is facing attorney disciplinary proceedings over statements he allegedly made about two state court judges cannot abruptly halt that action as their lawsuit attacking the underlying action continues, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday.

  • May 28, 2025

    FBI Misled Court In Russia Sanctions Probe, Judge Rules

    Federal prosecutors cannot use certain evidence to prove charges that a Russian bank executive dodged sanctions because an FBI agent "recklessly omitted material facts" from the related warrant application, a New York federal judge ruled.

  • May 28, 2025

    Ga. Justices Uphold $1.75M Award, Despite Ex Parte Emails

    The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a $1.75 million arbitration award in a dispute between a medical provider and its contractor, finding the provider was not prejudiced by the contractor's ex parte communications with an arbitrator.

  • May 28, 2025

    Agency Says Klehr Harrison Testimony Allowed In NFL Case

    A sports management company on Wednesday argued that a Pennsylvania federal court's previous sanction orders permit the testimony it is seeking from two Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP attorneys who represented defendants in a lawsuit over an alleged attempt to poach former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay as a client.

  • May 28, 2025

    'Zero Effort': Judge Rips Feds' Retrieval Of Asylum-Seeker

    A Maryland federal judge on Wednesday slammed the Trump administration for showing "zero effort" to facilitate the return of a 20-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker sent to a Salvadoran prison and for having "utterly disregarded" an order for updates on its efforts.

  • May 28, 2025

    Judge Shields NY Congestion Pricing From Feds' Threats

    New York's congestion pricing program can keep running at least through the fall, after a federal judge on Wednesday signaled that the U.S. Department of Transportation likely overstepped its authority by purportedly terminating a federal agreement that gave congestion pricing the green light.

  • May 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Lets Stewart Revise Longhorn Sanctions Order

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday granted a bid by the acting head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to allow her to revise the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision to cancel 183 of Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics' patent claims as a punishment for "egregious abuse of the PTAB process."

  • May 28, 2025

    Texas Lawyer Fined $6K For Fake AI Citations In ERISA Suit

    An Indiana federal judge on Wednesday fined a Texas attorney $6,000 for filing three separate briefs using generative artificial intelligence that included fake citations in an ERISA case, imposing a personal sanction that was less than half the $15,000 fine a magistrate judge recommended.

  • May 28, 2025

    Amazon Seeks To End FTC's Prime Subscription Case

    Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission have both asked a Washington state federal court to hand them wins ahead of trial in the agency's case accusing the e-commerce giant of trapping consumers into Prime subscriptions.

  • May 28, 2025

    Alex Jones Is 'Defending Journalists,' Texas Court Hears

    A Texas appeals court seemed taken aback after counsel for conspiracist Alex Jones claimed a $45 million default judgment relating to Jones' defamatory Sandy Hook statements should be thrown out, suggesting during oral arguments Jones was "thumbing [his] nose" at the trial court.

  • May 28, 2025

    Ex-Texas Solicitor General Accused Of Harassment In Suit

    A new lawsuit from a onetime executive assistant at Stone Hilton PLLC alleges various forms of misconduct at the firm and claims that one of its founders resigned from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office amid sexual harassment allegations.

  • May 28, 2025

    ID Verification Platform Fights Bid To DQ MoFo In IP Dispute

    Identity verification platform Jumio urged a California federal court to reject a bid to disqualify Morrison & Foerster LLP as its counsel in patent litigation over facial recognition technology, saying the law firm had not been co-counsel with its previously disqualified firm, Perkins Coie LLP.

  • May 28, 2025

    DC Circ. Denies Steve Bannon's Bid For En Banc Rehearing

    Right-wing media figure Steve Bannon, who was a chief strategist during the first Trump administration, has been rebuffed in his bid for an en banc rehearing at the D.C. Circuit on his contempt of Congress conviction, a move his legal team deemed "overriding politicalization."

  • May 28, 2025

    Ga. Bank Wins Appellate Review Of Claim Against Law Firm

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has agreed to review a dismissed portion of a bank's suit against law firm Stanley Esrey & Buckley LLP, after the bank argued it had sufficiently explained that it loaned millions of dollars to a woman who was later convicted of fraud based on the firm's "false assurances."

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 37 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

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