Legal Ethics

  • May 14, 2026

    Lover's Ex-Wife Fights Sinema's Request For Therapy Notes

    A bid by former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to unearth notes and communications from a therapist working with her lover's ex-wife should be summarily denied, as the ex-wife, Heather Ammel, told a North Carolina federal court Thursday that the request is a clear overreach.

  • May 14, 2026

    Calif. Judge Admonished For Disparaging Pro Se Litigants

    A California state judge in Los Angeles has been publicly admonished for repeatedly "displaying poor demeanor" toward self-represented small claims litigants, including making disparaging remarks, interrupting litigants and walking out of the courtroom in the middle of proceedings.

  • May 13, 2026

    DOJ Goes After DC Bar, Courts For Discipline Of Ex-DOJ Atty

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday sued the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility, D.C. Court of Appeals and the District of Columbia, claiming that they were "punishing" a former Trump administration DOJ official and trying to "control the executive branch."

  • May 13, 2026

    Ore. Justices Urged To Reverse PacifiCorp Appeal Win

    Property owners urged the Oregon Supreme Court Wednesday to overturn a decision wiping out their wildfire damages verdict against PacifiCorp, saying the ruling leaves the state "without a workable framework" for class trials and citing "unfortunate appearance-of-justice concerns" regarding the judge who wrote the opinion.

  • May 13, 2026

    Judge Says LegalForce Must Pay $93K After Losing TM Suit

    A California federal judge on Wednesday ordered LegalForce RAPC Worldwide PC to pay nearly $93,000 in fees and costs to the company that operates LawFirms.com, finding the case to be exceptional because LegalForce alleged facts it knew were false and took steps to obscure other facts that showed its case was meritless.

  • May 13, 2026

    Judge Challenges DOJ On Trump Records Act Defiance

    A Trump administration attorney couldn't say whether the White House would follow Presidential Records Act requirements before disposing of records after an Office of Legal Counsel opinion unilaterally called the law unconstitutional last month.

  • May 13, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Prison Misconduct Sank Sentence Cut Bid

    The Fourth Circuit has ruled that a Virginia man convicted of illegal ammunition possession should be made to serve an entire federal sentence, despite being eligible for a reduction under recently revised sentencing guidelines.

  • May 13, 2026

    Ex-Client Can Relitigate Malpractice Suit Over Workers' Comp

    An Illinois appellate panel has reversed a summary judgment win for a Chicago attorney and her law firm in a legal malpractice dispute, saying a jury must evaluate whether her ex-client lost his workers' compensation case because of her failure to introduce a medical expert's opinion or whether he could have prevailed on appeal had the attorney filed one.

  • May 13, 2026

    Arbitrators See Global Stakes In Trump BigLaw EO Fight

    Ahead of a D.C. Circuit hearing on Thursday in the Trump administration's effort to revive executive orders imposed against four BigLaw firms, an official at the College of Commercial Arbitrators told Law360 this week there are several things arbitrators are going to be watching for.

  • May 13, 2026

    Mich. Panel Revives FOIA Suit, Finds Defense Frivolous

    A Michigan appellate panel partly revived a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against a Detroit-area prosecutor's office, ruling that the office failed to adequately justify withholding records related to threats against the prosecutor and her staff, while also finding that one of its legal defenses was frivolous and sanctionable. 

  • May 13, 2026

    Conn. PFAS Plaintiffs Deny Forum Shopping In Montana Suit

    The City of Stamford and a local fire district are pushing back against a bid by 3M and others to sanction them for moving their claims from Connecticut to Montana, saying the sanctions bid misrepresents the facts and circumstances motivating them to join the litigation.

  • May 13, 2026

    Mass. Audit Fight Not Over As AG Is Ripped For Comments

    Massachusetts' auditor said Wednesday that she may file more litigation over her ongoing bid to audit the state legislature, sharply pushing back on statements by the state attorney general that suggested any review would be cabined.

  • May 13, 2026

    Apple Targets Hagens Berman 'Gamesmanship' In ICloud Suit

    Apple has lashed out at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP for trying to withdraw a named plaintiff from an iCloud antitrust case in California federal court without discovery into any directions she received to preserve now-deleted emails, raising concerns that the withdrawal is meant to "paper over lost evidence."

  • May 13, 2026

    Ex-NY Judge Charged With $5M Real Estate Investment Scheme

    A recently resigned Brooklyn state judge and a real estate investor were arrested Wednesday on federal charges they scammed $5 million from investors who backed their purported New Jersey commercial sale, allegedly pitched using the judge's good name.

  • May 13, 2026

    NC Personal Injury Firm Blasts 'Baseless' Claims In DQ Bid

    A personal injury law firm in North Carolina is rebutting allegations that it engaged in nefarious activity on the dark web to solicit plaintiffs for a data breach class action, saying it received the data legally from a cybersecurity consulting expert and should not be disqualified from the suit.

  • May 13, 2026

    Michigan Federal Judge Gets Probation For Drunken Driving

    Michigan federal Judge Thomas L. Ludington was sentenced by a state judge on Wednesday to six months' probation and fined $1,175 after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge last month in Emmet County.

  • May 13, 2026

    11th Circ. Rejects Trump Rehearing In Clinton RICO Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit will not reexamine the dismissal of President Donald Trump's racketeering lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, which claims the pair falsely accused Trump of colluding with Russia during his 2016 campaign.

  • May 13, 2026

    Texas Atty Must Pay $5M For Groping Opposing Counsel

    A Texas state appellate court on Wednesday refused to disturb a $5 million jury verdict against a San Antonio lawyer for grabbing the buttocks of opposing counsel at the courthouse where they were arguing a family law proceeding in 2019.

  • May 13, 2026

    6th Circ. Says Kentucky Judicial Hopefuls May Tout Ideology

    Kentucky judicial hopefuls are cleared to discuss their political leanings on the campaign trail, according to a precedential ruling by the Sixth Circuit, which permanently enjoined the state's Judicial Conduct Commission from pursuing an enforcement action against two candidates who described themselves as "conservatives" and "Republicans" amid the 2022 election season.

  • May 13, 2026

    Murdaugh Murder Conviction Overturned By SC High Court

    The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a double murder conviction and ordered a new trial for disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh, finding the jury in his first trial was biased by a clerk of court who allegedly sought a guilty verdict in a ploy to juice sales of her book about the trial.

  • May 12, 2026

    Decades After Bombing Conviction, Forensics Don't Hold Up

    A handyman was convicted for a string of 1991 Colorado bombings based on a forensic expert's testimony that the handyman's tools matched markings on bomb fragments "to the exclusion of any other tool in the world." Decades later, the defendant's successful challenge to the scientific merit and reliability of toolmark forensics has drawn national attention.

  • May 12, 2026

    ​​​​​​​Amazon Beats Sanctions Bid Over Supplement Product Pages

    A Washington federal judge declined to sanction Amazon for allegedly failing to preserve product pages for dietary supplements that shoppers claim were improperly labeled, ruling that the retail giant fulfilled its duty to retain the information despite storing it as lines of code instead of viewable documents.

  • May 12, 2026

    SCOTUSblog Founder Can't Delay Tax Fraud Sentencing

    A Maryland federal judge has rejected SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein's request to push back sentencing for his tax evasion conviction, finding that Goldstein "has not shown good cause to continue sentencing."

  • May 12, 2026

    Mass. AG OKs Auditor Lawsuit, Ending Constitutional Spat

    The Massachusetts attorney general said on Tuesday she will allow litigation to proceed over whether the state legislature can be audited and will appoint special counsel to represent the state auditor, ending a high-profile showdown between two high-ranking elected officials.

  • May 12, 2026

    USPTO Touts Fraud Crackdown In Patent, TM Applications

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said Tuesday the agency is taking steps to combat fraudulent representations and invalid filings in trademark and patent applications, saying it had purged thousands of applications in the last fiscal year.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

    Author Photo

    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

    Author Photo

    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

    Author Photo

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Presidential Pardon Brokering Can Create Risks For Attys

    Author Photo

    The emergence of an apparent “pardon shopping” marketplace, in which attorneys treat presidential pardons as a market product, may invite investigative scrutiny of counsel and potential criminal charges grounded in bribery, wire fraud and other statutes, says David Klasing at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

    Author Photo

    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

  • Prisoners' Access To Health Info Should Have No Bars

    Author Photo

    To safeguard against unnecessary deaths in custody, courts and policymakers should clarify that incarcerated individuals’ constitutional right to medical care also includes access to sufficient information about their medical conditions, lifting current restrictions that can lead to crucial information being withheld, says Jaehyun Oh at Jacob Fuchsberg Law.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

    Author Photo

    Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

  • Series

    Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

  • How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

    Author Photo

    Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

  • Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

    Author Photo

    Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Considerations In Building Guardrails For AI Use In Arbitration

    Author Photo

    A recent California federal court case involving allegations of artificial intelligence ghostwriting an arbitration award, prior analogous practice on tribunal delegation, and emerging generative AI recommendations all support building a forward-looking framework for arbitration rules to minimize the risk of AI-based challenges, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • 4 Ways GCs Can Manage Growing Service Of Process Volume

    Author Photo

    As automation and arbitration increase the volume of legal filings, in-house counsel must build scalable service of process systems that strengthen corporate governance and manage risk in real time, says Paul Mathews at Corporation Service Co.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Forming Measurable Ties

    Author Photo

    Relationship-building should begin as early as possible in a law firm merger, as intentional pathways to bringing people together drive collaboration, positive client response, engagements and growth, says Amie Colby at Troutman.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Legal Ethics archive.