Legal Ethics

  • July 09, 2025

    'Cookie-Cutter' Slip-And-Fall Suit Against Walmart Settled

    Weeks after personal injury law firm Simon & Simon PC was chastised by a Pennsylvania federal judge for letting paralegals file a "cookie-cutter" slip-and-fall lawsuit against Walmart, the plaintiff's counsel have notified the court that a deal was reached ending the claims.

  • July 09, 2025

    Sandoz, Buyers Defend $275M Deal Amid State Objections

    Counsel for consumers, insurers and others urged a Pennsylvania federal court on Tuesday to approve Sandoz and its subsidiaries' $275 million deal settling claims it conspired with other companies to fix some generic drug prices, with Sandoz separately calling states' objections "a paternalistic desire to control private class action settlements."

  • July 09, 2025

    ABA Says Unlawful Discriminatory Jury Selection Breaks Rule

    Lawyers may not knowingly engage in unlawful juror discrimination under the cover of "legitimate advocacy," the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility said in a formal opinion released Wednesday, finding that doing so violates prospective jurors' equal protection rights.

  • July 09, 2025

    DA Willis Urges Ga. Justices To Ax Trump Case Testimony Bid

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to toss a subpoena seeking her testimony from the state Senate committee that was investigating her relationship with a special prosecutor during her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case, arguing the panel is "seeking to 'try' the district attorney in public."

  • July 09, 2025

    Retired Calif. Judge Disciplined For Disparaging Defense Atty

    A California judicial ethics body has publicly reprimanded a retired state judge for belittling a defense attorney in court and attempting to prod his client to ditch the attorney while still on the bench.

  • July 09, 2025

    NJ Justices Disbar Fla. Atty For Misappropriating $100K

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has disbarred a Florida attorney based on Disciplinary Review Board findings that she misappropriated more than $100,000 in client funds.

  • July 09, 2025

    Girardi Keese CFO's Chicago Plea Derails Over Repayment

    A Chicago plea and sentencing hearing for law firm Girardi Keese's already-imprisoned former financial chief was abruptly halted Wednesday after his attorney flagged a dispute over whether both restitution and forfeiture should be ordered for his client's role in helping Tom Girardi steal millions from clients.

  • July 09, 2025

    Top Dems Press EEOC On 'Shakedown' Of Major Law Firms

    Top congressional Democrats are once again seeking information on the Trump administration's "shakedown" of major law firms over their past work and clients.

  • July 08, 2025

    Top Supreme Court Atty Touts AI Version Of Own Argument

    You're not hallucinating — a tech-savvy U.S. Supreme Court advocate generated a near-facsimile of his voice, had an artificial intelligence chatbot use it to argue the same case he recently argued, and told Law360 on Tuesday that "many of its answers were as good or better than mine."

  • July 08, 2025

    NC Atty Says Mistrial Order Puts Career At Risk In Appeal Bid

    A property restoration company and its trial attorney told the North Carolina Court of Appeals that the attorney did not engage in "serious misconduct," and urged it to toss components of a lower court's mistrial order.

  • July 08, 2025

    Okla. City Illegally Prosecutes Natives On Rez, Tribe Says

    The Muscogee (Creek) Nation sued the city of Henryetta in Oklahoma federal court Tuesday accusing it of violating federal laws and its sovereign rights by prosecuting Native Americans for conduct within the tribe's Creek Reservation, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting the state and its political subdivisions' ability to do so.  

  • July 08, 2025

    'Practice Better Judgment,' Judge Tells Comscore Foe

    A California federal judge "strongly" admonished a film distribution and data company for filing an amended monopolization complaint against Comscore on the Fourth of July, while also concluding that the filing mooted, for now, a bid to force the box office giant to continue sharing data.

  • July 08, 2025

    Ex-Knick Oakley Slams MSG's 'Incoherent' Sanctions Motion

    Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley has called a bid by the owners of Madison Square Garden for monetary sanctions "borderline incoherent" and made his own sanctions request in a lawsuit that accuses the venue of assaulting and humiliating him.

  • July 08, 2025

    Wash. Law Firm Settles Investors' Suit Over $1M Escrow Loss

    A Washington-based law firm has settled a lawsuit in which investors accuse it of losing $1 million in escrow funds intended as a security deposit on a medical supplies purchase, the parties have informed a federal judge just weeks before the scheduled trial date.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. Bar Seeks 30-Day Suspension For Ex-Exec's Misconduct

    The California State Bar Court has recommended a 30-day "actual" suspension for its onetime executive director, who last year was found culpable for a "significant ethical violation" in making misrepresentations to the State Bar Board of Trustees regarding his 2014 visit to Mongolia, which allegedly cost thousands of dollars in bar funds.

  • July 08, 2025

    Ex-DC Prosecutors Rip Pick Of Emil Bove For 3rd Circ.

    In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a group of former federal prosecutors in Washington panned Emil Bove as a "dangerous" pick for the Third Circuit and criticized his record as a prosecutor as that of a loyal follower of President Donald Trump.

  • July 08, 2025

    Masimo Criticizes Bid To DQ Quinn Emanuel In Payout Suit

    Masimo Corp. is fighting a bid by its former CEO Joe Kiani to disqualify Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP from representing the medical technology company in Delaware Chancery Court litigation over Kiani's quest for a $450 million payout.

  • July 08, 2025

    Medical Co. Wants High Court To Review Rushed Patent Case

    A medical device maker has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear it out on claims that a North Carolina federal judge rushed the case to trial and violated the Fifth Amendment right to due process by shortening the amount of time for discovery.

  • July 08, 2025

    Fla. Panel Fights Judge's Bid To Ax Fake-Recording Charges

    A Florida judicial ethics panel has said a judge in Broward County cannot escape ethics charges stemming from her 2024 election campaign, when she allegedly publicly shared a fabricated recording of a chief judge disparaging another judge.

  • July 08, 2025

    NJ Judge Disciplined For Signing Client's Name In Atty Role

    A part-time Garden State municipal judge was reprimanded by the New Jersey Supreme Court for an ethics complaint against him in his capacity as an attorney, alleging he signed an order without his client's authorization.

  • July 08, 2025

    Jackson Walker, US Trustee Have A Week To Finish Mediation

    A Texas federal judge has given Jackson Walker LLP and the federal government's bankruptcy watchdog a week to finish mediation in a fee dispute stemming from a former bankruptcy judge's secret relationship with a former firm partner.

  • July 08, 2025

    NY Lawyer Wants Jay-Z's Claims In Suit Against Buzbee Tossed

    A New York City lawyer wants a court to dismiss allegations that she took part in a conspiracy with prominent attorney Tony Buzbee to extort Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter via a since-dropped rape case, arguing that the hip-hop mogul's claims against her were brought in an improper forum and that he failed to state a claim.

  • July 07, 2025

    Wis. Judge Can't Slip ICE Arrest Case, Magistrate Judge Says

    The Wisconsin judge accused of helping an immigrant living in the country illegally avoid arrest shouldn't be able to get her indictment dismissed just yet, a federal magistrate judge recommended Monday, rejecting her argument that judicial immunity shields her from the case.

  • July 07, 2025

    Fox Rothschild Seeks To Exit NJ Case Over Litigation Funding

    Fox Rothschild LLP urged a New Jersey state court on Monday to toss claims brought by a couple injured in a vehicle crash alleging they were unlawfully steered to cover medical expenses with high-interest loans from the law firm's litigation funder client, saying its involvement was limited to a "tangential, representative role."

  • July 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Sanctions For Jehovah's Witnesses' Atty

    The Ninth Circuit Monday upheld nearly $160,000 in sanctions against the general counsel for a Jehovah's Witnesses group accused of submitting a misleading affidavit to a Montana federal court in litigation brought by women alleging they endured sexual assault as children at the hands of church officials.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Explicit Pic Takedown Law Casts A Wide Net

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    With a surprisingly broad range of online platforms potentially subject to the new Take It Down Act’s process for removing revenge porn or explicit deepfakes, all services that allow user interaction or content hosting should proactively evaluate their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance, say attorneys at Goodwin, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Spoliation Of Evidence Is A Risky And Shortsighted Strategy

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    Destroying self-incriminating evidence to avoid a large judgment may seem like an attractive option to some defendants, but it is a shortsighted strategy that affords the nonspoliating party potentially case-terminating remedies, and support for a direct assault on the spoliator’s credibility, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable

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    The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

  • 5 Takeaways From DOJ's Media Compulsory Process Rules

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new rules, making it easier for law enforcement investigating leaks to compel members of the media and third parties to disclose information, could have wide-ranging impacts, from reduced protections for journalists and organizations, to an expanded focus on nonclassified material, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team

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    While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw

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    When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

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