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Legal Ethics
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October 23, 2025
McGuireWoods Asks NC Justices To Stay Defamation Case
McGuireWoods LLP and a former partner are asking North Carolina's highest court to halt a defamation case over statements made in connection with an investigation into the former CEO of a managed care organization, saying they risk permanently losing their immunity defense if the suit is allowed to move forward.
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October 23, 2025
Shipbuilders' Discovery Demands Go Too Far, Engineer Says
One of the naval engineers suing the nation's largest military shipbuilders over an alleged no-poach agreement said she's already identified 20 witnesses and produced more than 3,000 pages of documents in discovery, but the companies are still asking for attorney work product in their latest demands.
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October 23, 2025
Judges Admit AI Missteps After Grassley's Oversight Push
Federal judges in New Jersey and Mississippi admitted their staff used artificial intelligence in faulty orders they had to redo over the summer, according to correspondence released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who is investigating the matter.
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October 23, 2025
Biden Judicial Noms Atty To Lead Progressive Nonprofit
The American Constitution Society, a progressive legal nonprofit, has named a White House Senior Counsel from former President Joe Biden's administration as its next president, who in his time working at Pennsylvania Avenue oversaw a historic number of judicial confirmations.
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October 22, 2025
Blake Lively Seeks Sanctions Over 'Untraceable' Messages
Blake Lively told a New York federal judge Wednesday her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni, his production company and other defendants in her defamation case should be sanctioned for using Signal's auto-delete function in an attempt to erase evidence of their alleged retaliatory smear campaign against the actress.
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October 22, 2025
Baker McKenzie Partner Hired Security In Dispute With Ex-Atty
The managing partner of Baker McKenzie's Washington, D.C., office told a Maryland state judge Wednesday that he has had to employ a protective detail because of harassment and threats from a former firm associate who he says falsely accused him of sexual assault.
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October 22, 2025
'Danger Zone': 9th Circ. Judge Warns Atty Battling L'Oreal
A Ninth Circuit judge warned an attorney Wednesday he was in a "danger zone" and should have considered never appealing a district court's order throwing out his client's trade secrets case against L'Oreal USA Inc., saying the lower court's finding that his client fabricated evidence puts the attorney in the panel's crosshairs.
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October 22, 2025
Phillips 66 Can't Undo $805M Trade Secrets Trial Loss
Phillips 66 can't get a new trial after its $805 million loss on claims it stole startup Propel Fuels' intellectual property during due diligence for an acquisition, a California state judge has ruled, saying the jury's findings, including malicious misconduct, are well-supported.
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October 22, 2025
Fed. Circ. Faults PTAB Ax In Centripetal Case But Not Recusal
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday vacated the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's invalidation of Centripetal Networks LLC cybersecurity patent claims challenged by Cisco Systems Inc. in a high-stakes dispute, but rejected Centripetal's argument that the case was tainted by a PTAB judge's ownership of Cisco stock.
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October 22, 2025
Ohio Derailment Attys Can Start Contempt Bid Before Audit
An Ohio federal judge has granted a request from class counsel to advance a bid to hold the administrator of Norfolk Southern's $600 million derailment settlement in contempt without having to wait for the results of a court-ordered audit.
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October 22, 2025
Tax Court Judge Warns Against Unchecked AI Use In Filings
A U.S. Tax Court judge cautioned attorneys Wednesday against relying on artificial intelligence to write filings without verifying the information it generates, saying recent "unfortunate incidents" have prompted the court to double down on accuracy in using such tools.
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October 22, 2025
Privilege 'Dramatization' Won't Shield 7K Docs In Ads MDL
An Illinois federal judge took Meredith, Nexstar, Sinclair and other broadcasters to task Monday for trying to withhold 6,893 documents in multidistrict litigation alleging a television advertising price-fixing scheme, finding it "necessary to level set with defendants" on their own failings to justify withholding the material from ad buyers.
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October 22, 2025
Feds Fight Early Release For Atty Convicted Of $550M Fraud
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday opposed compassionate release of a Kentucky lawyer who fled the country after pleading guilty to a $550 million Social Security fraud scheme, telling the Sixth Circuit that the lawyer's medical conditions are being adequately treated in prison and the seriousness of his crimes warranted more time behind bars.
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October 22, 2025
NY Atty Shouldn't Bring FCA Suit Against Ex-Client, Bar Says
A New York attorney has been cautioned that, in most cases, it is unethical to act as a relator in a qui tam False Claims Act suit against his former client, with new guidance warning against using information gained during representation to later bring such claims against former clients.
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October 22, 2025
Calif. Judge Censured For Delayed Rulings, Lying About Them
A California state judge has been publicly censured for taking more than six months to issue some decisions and lying about those delays on his salary affidavits, according to the state's judicial ethics body.
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October 22, 2025
Ex-NY AGs Say James Case Will Rally Office: 'Fuel To The Fire'
New York Attorney General Letitia James' criminal prosecution is unlikely to have any significant effect on the day-to-day operations of her office, including its suits against the federal government and an appeal in President Donald Trump's nearly $500 million civil fraud case, but former leaders of the office say it could strengthen the resolve of her staff.
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October 21, 2025
Apple Slams 'Fatally Broad' App Store Injunction At 9th Circ.
Apple urged the Ninth Circuit Tuesday to scrap a mandate blocking it from charging any commission on iPhone app purchases made outside its systems, slamming the district court's "fatally broad" injunction and arguing that the court's zero-commission rule is "the antithesis of a proper civil contempt remedy."
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October 21, 2025
Uber MDL Judge Sets Litigation Funding Disclosure Deadline
A California federal judge ruled Tuesday in multidistrict litigation accusing Uber Technologies Inc. of failing to prevent drivers from sexually assaulting passengers that plaintiffs' counsel must disclose any ties to third-party litigation funding companies by next week, but stopped short of ordering all plaintiffs' counsel to affirmatively deny any connection.
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October 21, 2025
Baker McKenzie Can't Get Illinois Malpractice Suit Tossed
An Illinois state judge has refused to dismiss a private equity firm's malpractice suit accusing Baker McKenzie of botching a client's bid to reacquire a Russian coal mine, saying the plaintiffs have sufficiently pled claims sustainable under both Illinois and Russian law at this stage of the case.
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October 21, 2025
NY Courts Can't Shield Memos To State Judges
The New York State Office of Court Administration may have to finally turn over a batch of "secret memos" that instruct state judges on how to interpret the law, the state's highest court ruled Tuesday.
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October 21, 2025
Cybersecurity Co. Wants Sanctions For 'Frivolous' Patent Suit
A Georgia-based cybersecurity firm facing allegations that it ripped off a software developer's patent called for sanctions Tuesday against the developer for his "frivolous" lawsuit, arguing his complaint misrepresents the "clear and unmistakable" language of a deal to give the company use of the technology.
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October 21, 2025
Colo. Federal Courts Halt Atty Discipline For Shutdown
The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has suspended all attorney discipline investigations in light of the government shutdown.
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October 21, 2025
Fla. Investor Sues NY Atty Over Litigation Funding 'Scheme'
A New York lawyer is facing state court claims alleging he scammed a Florida investor out of more than $2.5 million by "effectively running a Ponzi scheme" under the guise of a litigation finance investment.
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October 21, 2025
Georgia Atty Can't Shake Contempt Conviction For Tardiness
An attorney who was hours late for jury selection in a felony case in Georgia received adequate notice that the matter was set for trial and cannot avoid a judge's criminal contempt finding, a state appellate panel ruled Tuesday.
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October 21, 2025
Connell Foley Hit With $40M Suit Over NJ Hotel Project
A hotel developer is mounting a $40 million malpractice lawsuit against Connell Foley LLP in New Jersey state court, alleging the firm steered it into costly arbitration with a contractor on a hotel construction project.
Expert Analysis
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How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
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Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.
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Opinion
This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process
In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.