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Legal Ethics
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April 12, 2024
Trump Trial's Anonymous Jury Signals Sacrifice Of Service
As jury selection begins Monday in the criminal trial of former president Donald Trump, the panel's identities will remain shielded from the public and the media. So-called anonymous juries are relatively new and rare, but they're being used more and more for high-profile cases in an age of doxxing and political polarization.
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April 12, 2024
Panama Papers Attys Deny Money Laundering At Trial
Two attorneys who ran the Mossack Fonseca law firm in Panama, at the center of a 2016 leak that produced multiple convictions for tax evasion, pled not guilty with 27 others to money-laundering charges as a trial began in Panama, according to prosecutors.
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April 12, 2024
Up Next At High Court: Jan. 6, Gratuities & Ineffective Attys
The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for the term's last two weeks of oral arguments, during which it will consider whether the U.S. Department of Justice can use the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to prosecute defendants accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the correct standard courts should apply when reviewing malicious prosecution claims.
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April 12, 2024
On Eve Of Ethics Trial, Ex-Calif. Bar Head Tries To Gut Case
Former State Bar of California Executive Director Joe Dunn is trying once again to shut down the bar's disciplinary case against him, on the eve of a trial set to begin next week that centers on a 2014 scandal connected to disgraced plaintiffs attorney Tom Girardi.
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April 12, 2024
NJ Firm Wants Boardwalk Malpractice Suit Tossed For Good
Hankin Sandman Palladino Weintrob & Bell has called on a New Jersey federal court to lift a stay and allow the firm to pursue summary judgment in a legal malpractice lawsuit from a couple over their investment in an Atlantic City Boardwalk amusement park, which resulted in an $11.8 million claim against the investors.
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April 12, 2024
Mogul Aims To Trace Part Of Alleged $35M Hack Payout To Atty
An airline mogul has doubled down on a bid to access the bank records of a North Carolina attorney and ex-FBI agent, saying those records will help "follow the money" to prove a large-scale hacking conspiracy against him that he claims involves a $35 million payout.
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April 12, 2024
Vermont Attys Can't Be Sued In Connecticut, Court Says
Two Vermont firms that handled the sale of a Connecticut man's second home near a Vermont ski town cannot be sued in Connecticut because the lawyers' business models and the disputed cash transfers that spurred the litigation were not sufficiently directed toward Connecticut, a three-judge appellate panel ruled on Friday.
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April 12, 2024
DC Circ. Upholds Jan. 6 Rioter's 52-Month Sentence
The DC Circuit on Friday affirmed a judgment and 52-month sentence against a Texas militia leader who pled guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, saying the judge had acted within his discretion in applying certain enhancements.
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April 12, 2024
Ex-Philly Union Leader Denied Bench Trial In Extortion Case
A Pennsylvania federal judge has denied twice-convicted former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 leader John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty's request to have his third criminal trial — this time over extortion charges — handled by a judge instead of a jury.
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April 12, 2024
Off The Bench: Ohtani 'Victim' In Theft, Arbitration Nod To NFL
In this week's Off The Bench, Shohei Ohtani looks to get off the hook on sports-betting allegations while his former interpreter faces charges, the NFL wins a critical court victory in the Brian Flores lawsuit, and troubled WWE founder Vince McMahon cuts even more financial ties with the company.
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April 12, 2024
Santos Says Feds Withheld Key Evidence For Over A Year
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos accused New York federal prosecutors of withholding evidence that he said undermined their fraud and campaign finance charges against him.
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April 12, 2024
Trump Voir Dire Aims To Keep Ballot Box Out Of The Jury Box
As jury selection begins Monday in the first-ever criminal trial against a former president, experts say both the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and lawyers for Donald Trump will rely on voir dire questioning and social media sleuthing to keep out jurors who'd use their civic duty to "have a stronger vote in the next presidential election."
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April 11, 2024
CFPB Says Credit Card Shares Disqualifying In 5th Circ. Case
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sparred Thursday with a coalition of trade groups over recusal standards in their Fifth Circuit lawsuit challenging the agency's new $8 credit card late fee rule, arguing that a judge's ownership of stock in a major card-issuing bank ought to be disqualifying in itself.
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April 11, 2024
Judge Tells USPTO To Hand Over 'Expanded' Panels List
A Virginia federal judge has ordered the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to hand over a list the agency once made of how many Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings went before "expanded" panels, a practice that has since been abandoned.
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April 11, 2024
Orrick To Pay $8M To Settle Data Breach Litigation
A proposed class of data-breach victims asked a California federal judge Thursday to greenlight an $8 million settlement with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in litigation over a March 2023 data breach that purportedly exposed Social Security numbers and other personal information of more than 638,000 individuals.
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April 11, 2024
Leonard Leo Rebuffs Senate Judiciary Committee Subpoena
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, served influential conservative and longtime Federalist Society executive Leonard Leo with a subpoena on Thursday as part of his U.S. Supreme Court ethics probe, which Leo is refusing to comply with.
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April 11, 2024
Prosecutor Named In Ga. Lt. Gov. 2020 Fake Elector Probe
Nearly two years after a judge disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from investigating Georgia Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones over his alleged role in helping former President Donald Trump overturn the state's 2020 presidential election, a state prosecutor has been appointed to handle the case.
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April 11, 2024
Pro-Trump Mich. Atty Gets New Trial Date After Skipping Court
A Michigan attorney accused of accessing voting machines after the 2020 presidential election said Thursday her old lawyer was dragging his feet in sharing critical documents as a judge rescheduled her trial for July following her attorney swap and her arrest for failing to appear in court.
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April 11, 2024
11th Circ. Denies Atty DQ Bid From Gold Star Wives
The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday denied a request from Gold Star Wives of America Inc. to disqualify an attorney representing a former president of the organization in an appeal over a trademark suit settlement, rejecting its argument that the lawyer's time serving the group should prevent him from guiding its former leader.
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April 11, 2024
Ex-Atlanta Worker Says City's Missing Docs Merits Sanctions
Counsel for a former city of Atlanta department head who says she was fired after blowing the whistle on failures in its immigrant outreach services urged a Georgia federal judge on Thursday to hit the city with sanctions for reportedly destroying communications related to her termination.
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April 11, 2024
Software Co., NC Officials Want Out Of Digital Courts Row
Software company Tyler Technologies, North Carolina court administrators and two sheriffs have asked a federal court to release them from a proposed class action alleging the state's new digital filing system has led to unlawful arrests and detentions.
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April 11, 2024
Ex-COO Sues NJ Law Firm, Claiming Sexual Harassment
The former chief operating officer of New Jersey personal injury giant Garces Grabler & LeBrocq PC sued the firm Wednesday for sexual harassment and discrimination, alleging firm leaders unfairly impeded her from doing her job and made lewd comments about her.
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April 11, 2024
Insurer Says Firm Not Covered For Bogus Check Scheme
An insurance firm has filed a complaint in Washington federal court seeking a declaration that it doesn't owe coverage to a Seattle-area firm and its sole attorney, who are embroiled in litigation with a bank after the firm fell prey to a counterfeit check scheme.
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April 11, 2024
NC Justices Hint Holtzman Vogel Immune In Defamation Case
The North Carolina Supreme Court's Republican majority seems poised to reverse a Court of Appeals decision forcing Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC to face voters' defamation claims, with one justice lamenting that revoking the law firm's privilege defense could upend decades of case law in the Tar Heel State.
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April 11, 2024
State Bar Attys Fight Eastman's Bid To Activate Law License
The State Bar of California has formally opposed John C. Eastman's motion to stay a March order placing him on inactive status pending appeal of a recommendation that he be disbarred.
Expert Analysis
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Perspectives
How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate
Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Opinion
Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute
Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model
Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.
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A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery
The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.
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Opinion
High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law
The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.
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Opinion
Time For Law Schools To Rethink Unsung Role Of Adjuncts
As law schools prepare for the fall 2023 semester, administrators should reevaluate the role of the underappreciated, indispensable adjunct, and consider 16 concrete actions to improve the adjuncts' teaching experience, overall happiness and feeling of belonging, say T. Markus Funk at Perkins Coie, Andrew Boutros at Dechert and Eugene Volokh at UCLA.
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Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy
Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.
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How Cognizant Bribery Case Could Shape DOJ Investigations
A case playing out in New Jersey federal court – U.S. v. Coburn, involving bribery charges against former Cognizant executives – will examine when a company’s cooperation becomes an outsourced investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, and could potentially limit the government’s use of certain evidence, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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SEC May Be Regulating By Enforcement With Atty Actions
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent high-profile actions against Covington and Frost & Miller show the agency is taking "regulation by enforcement" to a new arena — attorney misconduct — despite having a never-used rule on the books at its disposal, say attorneys at Tarter Krinsky.
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What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.
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A Case For Sharing Mediation Statements With Counterparties
In light of a potential growing mediation trend of only submitting statements to the mediator, litigants should think critically about the pros and cons of exchanging statements with opposing parties as it could boost the chances of reaching a settlement, says Arthur Eidelhoch at Eidelhoch Mediation.
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Ethics Lessons From Outside Counsel Plotline In 'Succession'
A Season 3 storyline from “Succession,” featuring an outside counsel's ham-handed missteps, provides ethics lessons for white collar defense lawyers, especially in light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent corporate enforcement policy shifts, says Megan McDermott at the University of Wisconsin.
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Preparing For Legal Scrutiny Of Data Retention Policies
Two recent cases involving Google and Meta should serve as a call to action for companies to ensure their data retention policies are updated and properly implemented to the degree of being able to withstand judicial scrutiny, especially as more data is generated by emerging technologies, say Jack Kallus and Labeed Choudhry at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Opinion
Attorneys Should Have An Ethical Duty To Advance DEI
National and state bar associations are encouraging attorneys to apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the legal profession and beyond, and these associations should take it one step further by formally recognizing ethical duties for attorneys to promote DEI, which could better the legal profession and society, says Elena Mitchell at Moore & Van Allen.
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Use Caution In Cases Involving Illegal Images Of Minors
In cases where underage victims of sexual assault and abuse have been coerced into sharing nude or sexual images, attorneys representing abuse survivors must understand the strict protocols that regulate the handling of such illegal images, while taking care to protect essential evidence, says Michelle Simpson Tuegel at Simpson Tuegel.