Legal Ethics

  • August 08, 2025

    Texas Modernizes Barratry Ban To Include Online Outreach

    Texas, a state with a long history of outlawing prohibited legal services solicitation — known as barratry — has passed a bill updating its penal code to expand the definition of illegal barratry to cover new media, amid a reported rise in digital solicitation, with the amended law set to take effect on Sept. 1.

  • August 07, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Trial Atty With Brain Disease Not 'Ineffective'

    The Second Circuit on Thursday affirmed the convictions of a former New York City law enforcement union president along with its ex-financial adviser for defrauding members out of $500,000, rejecting among contentions that one defense lawyer's abilities were impaired at trial by a fast-moving neurodegenerative disease.

  • August 07, 2025

    Ga. AG Sues Gov.'s Race Rival Over No-Limit Fundraising

    Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr sued one of his top Republican rivals in the Peach State's 2026 gubernatorial race Thursday, alleging Lt. Gov. Burt Jones reaped an unfair advantage in the contest through a campaign finance vehicle that allows him to raise unlimited amounts of cash.

  • August 07, 2025

    'Breakdown In Civility' Gets Boies Schiller Sanctioned

    A California federal judge slapped Boies Schiller Flexner LLP with a $15,000 sanction Thursday in a former worker's suit claiming Levi Strauss & Co. declined to promote her out of sex bias, faulting the firm for a "uniquely eye-opening breakdown in civility and professionalism."

  • August 07, 2025

    Ohio Judge May Face Suspension Over Divorce Work Scandal

    An Ohio family court judge is facing a possible two-year suspension after a state disciplinary panel found that she allegedly tried to bully other judges into reassigning her divorce cases and hid her close relationship with a court-appointed receiver during a disciplinary case.

  • August 07, 2025

    Calif. Ethics Panel Clarifies Judge DQs In Racial Justice Cases

    A California judicial ethics committee has issued a formal opinion advising a judge who is a former prosecutor that a pending case involving a discovery motion under the state's Racial Justice Act does not require the judge's recusal.

  • August 07, 2025

    Fox Rothschild Must Face Litigation Funding Suit, Court Told

    A married couple is urging a New Jersey state judge to reject Fox Rothschild LLP's bid to exit a malpractice suit alleging that they were unlawfully steered to cover medical expenses with high-interest loans from the firm's litigation funder client, saying they've "amply" pleaded claims of misconduct.

  • August 07, 2025

    Ex-Knick Slams Madison Square Garden's $1.5M Fee Request

    Charles Oakley slammed Madison Square Garden's bid for $1.5 million in attorney fees stemming from its pursuit of the former New York Knick's deleted text messages in his battery suit against the arena, claiming that only "bad faith" could justify such an "inflated" request.

  • August 07, 2025

    DOJ's Boasberg Complaint Violates Judicial Privacy, Sen. Says

    Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has accused the U.S. Department of Justice of misusing private comments from a meeting of the Judicial Conference of the United States to pursue ethics charges against a federal judge who found probable cause to hold President Donald Trump's administration in contempt of court.

  • August 07, 2025

    Depo Row Yields Cross Sanctions Bids In Ala. Civil Rights Suit

    Paper goods company Kimberly-Clark and a former employee are pointing fingers at each other in Mobile, Alabama, federal court over a reportedly failed deposition amid the ex-employee's discrimination suit, with each side requesting discovery sanctions over the other's "bad faith" behavior.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes

    Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.

  • August 07, 2025

    State Data Breach Action Against Conn. Firm Dropped

    A Connecticut Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of a state class action filed by a former Brown Paindiris & Scott LLP client against the 26-attorney firm, as ongoing parallel federal actions alleging a data breach at the firm continue.

  • August 07, 2025

    Kratom Buyers Take Addictiveness Suit To 9th Circ.

    A proposed class of kratom buyers is appealing to the Ninth Circuit after their claims that Thang Botanicals and FTLS Holdings LLC misled them about the addictive qualities of kratom products were dismissed with prejudice.

  • August 06, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Seeks To Trim Patent Exec's Defamation Suit

    A Baker Botts LLP intellectual property litigator has urged a Florida federal judge to trim a patent licensing company executive's lawsuit alleging she made defamatory statements about him in news articles, saying some of the claims come too late, and others don't have a basis in facts.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Says No New Trial In Fleet Monitoring Patent Fight

    A California federal judge said Tuesday there is no basis for a new trial after a jury in April cleared Motive Technologies of allegations that it infringed a series of fleet monitoring patents, but ruled that claims in two of the patents were ineligible for patent protection to begin with.

  • August 06, 2025

    Reed Smith Faces DQ Bid In Venezuelan Airline Dispute

    A group of shareholders who say they own half of Venezuela's Avior Airlines have asked a Florida federal court to disqualify Reed Smith LLP from representing the airline and a feuding shareholder, claiming that the engagement of the law firm was not approved by a majority of the shareholders as required by the company's bylaws.

  • August 06, 2025

    WilmerHale Beats Fired Associate's Racial Bias Claims

    A Manhattan judge Wednesday threw out a former WilmerHale senior associate's lawsuit alleging he was unfairly evaluated and eventually fired because he is Black, finding that the complaint doesn't plausibly allege discriminatory comments were made about his race or that employees of other races were treated better.

  • August 06, 2025

    Valve Won't Pay $21M Arb. Fee In Antitrust Fight, Gamers Say

    About 15,000 users of Steam, one of the largest online sellers of video games, have accused the platform's operator, Valve, in a new proposed class action in Washington federal court of refusing to pay its nearly $21 million share in arbitration fees stemming from a series of individual antitrust disputes, in which consumers alleged the company inflated the price it charged for games.

  • August 06, 2025

    Colo. Judicial Discipline Rules Updated After Ballot Measure

    Nine months after Colorado voters overwhelmingly voted to overhaul the state's judicial discipline system, a newly formed rulemaking committee has announced interim amendments to its judicial discipline rules, opening a public comment period for Coloradans to weigh in on proposed changes.

  • August 06, 2025

    Louisiana Doctor's Suit Against Porzio Bromberg Sent To NJ

    A New Orleans federal judge approved a joint motion to transfer a legal malpractice case involving a Louisiana-based doctor and Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC to New Jersey federal court.

  • August 06, 2025

    NY US Atty Faces Watchdog's Ethics Suit After Altercation

    Legal ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability on Wednesday called for an ethics probe of acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III of the Northern District of New York, alleging that he made a number of deceptive claims arising from a June altercation.

  • August 06, 2025

    Texas Immigration Firm Says Rival Falsely Accused It Of Fraud

    A Houston immigration firm has accused a rival of falsely claiming that it encouraged clients to lie on their applications for legal status.

  • August 06, 2025

    Paramount Wants Docs In 'Top Gun: Maverick' Copyright Case

    A "Top Gun: Maverick" screenwriter's cousin who is pursuing copyright infringement claims against Paramount should have to turn over communications he and his lawyer exchanged with the Writers Guild of America, the studio told a New York federal judge on Tuesday, arguing the documents are relevant and aren't shielded by privilege.

  • August 06, 2025

    Family Says Court Must Face Bias Suit Over Witness Killing

    The father of a pregnant woman from Las Vegas who was fatally shot after traveling to Asheville to testify in a capital murder case urged the North Carolina Court of Appeals to restore his case against the state's court administrative office, arguing it was not time-barred.

  • August 06, 2025

    Honduran Woman 'Cruelly' Separated From Family Wins Relief

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday extended an order preventing the Trump administration from removing a Honduran woman who was "abruptly and cruelly" arrested during a check-in with New York City immigration officials and moved to a Texas detention center.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

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    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Key Ethical Issues For Gov't Attys Moving To Private Practice

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    Transitioning from government service to private practice presents complex ethical challenges for attorneys, including navigating conflicts of interest, confidential information rules and post-employment restrictions, say attorneys at HWG.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • The Implications Of 2024's AI Rules And Regs For Patent Attys

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    Christina Huang, John Smith and Devin Stein at Faegre Drinker review this year's new rules and regulations on the development and use of artificial intelligence — from the Biden administration, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the American Bar Association and various states — as they apply to patent attorneys.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

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    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

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    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • How White Collar Defense Attys Can Use Summary Witnesses

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    Few criminal defense attorneys have successfully utilized summary witnesses in the past, but several recent success stories show that it can be a worthwhile trial tactic to help juries understand the complex decision-making at issue, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

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