Legal Ethics

  • February 06, 2026

    Law Firm Sues Over Allianz Unit's 'Inadequate' Defense

    Florida law firm Conrad & Scherer sued its professional liability insurer in Illinois state court, alleging it spent over $5 million in attorney fees and needed to replace counsel because the insurer failed to properly defend it in a defamation case that resulted in a $120 million verdict against its former managing partner.

  • February 06, 2026

    Atty Wants Jury To Hear Public Defender Overwork Suit

    A former attorney for the Colorado public defender's office who is alleging the agency overworks its employees asked a state court Friday to send his case to a jury.

  • February 06, 2026

    NJ Watchdog Must Give Up Files In Hospital Row

    A New Jersey federal judge has refused to disturb a magistrate judge's decision compelling a state watchdog to turn over documents from its inquiry into CarePoint Health Systems Inc., rejecting the agency's bid to shield its files with grand-jury-like secrecy and reaffirming that federal privilege law governs discovery disputes in federal court.

  • February 06, 2026

    Insurer Gets Counterclaims Tossed In Pot Co. Fire Dispute

    A Maryland federal judge has dismissed counterclaims against Knight Specialty Insurance Co. in a suit over coverage of a fire that destroyed an insured's cannabis crop, while striking the cannabis grower's answer to the initial complaint.

  • February 06, 2026

    Beasley Allen Disqualified From NJ Talc Multicounty Litigation

    A New Jersey state appeals court disqualified the Beasley Allen Law Firm from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, ruling Friday that a former Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP lawyer's collaborative efforts with the firm's attorneys violated ethics rules.

  • February 06, 2026

    Ex-Ballard Spahr Atty, Rendell Aide Reinstated To The Bar

    A former chief of staff to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and onetime Ballard Spahr LLP partner was reinstated to the bar Friday after testimony from the ex-governor and the judge who sentenced him for stealing $13,000 in an FBI sting operation convinced a state disciplinary board of his rehabilitation and fitness.

  • February 06, 2026

    NJ Panel Won't Revive Arbitration Advice Malpractice Suit

    A New Jersey state appeals court has affirmed the dismissal of a long‑running legal malpractice suit against Leeds Morelli & Brown LLP, determining Friday that a former client was unable to show that a lower court judge abused his discretion in declining to accept expert reports as net opinion.

  • February 06, 2026

    Louisiana Attys Face Possible Sanctions For AI Slop Usage

    As part of an order dismissing the remaining claims in a real estate matter, a Louisiana federal judge has threatened to sanction attorneys from two local firms for submitting a brief riddled with errors generated by artificial intelligence.

  • February 06, 2026

    Ousted Conn. Public Defender Chief Loses Bias Suit

    The commission responsible for Connecticut's public defenders did not violate TaShun Bowden-Lewis' constitutional or legal rights when it removed her as chief of the office in 2024, a state Superior Court judge has ruled, finding no second hearing was necessary before the former top defense lawyer lost her job.

  • February 06, 2026

    Paymentus Settles Fintech Atty's Age Bias Suit Ahead Of Trial

    Billing company Paymentus Corp. has settled a former in-house attorney's retaliation, age discrimination and wrongful discharge lawsuit less than two weeks before the case was set to go to trial, court records show.

  • February 06, 2026

    Arbitrators Take Cautious Approach To Integrating AI

    Norms, practices and regulations surrounding the use of generative artificial intelligence in arbitration are developing just as rapidly as they are in the courts. Here, Law360 Pulse talks with legal tech vendor Veritext's senior vice president in charge of alternative dispute resolution about how the arbitration industry is interacting with AI.

  • February 06, 2026

    5th Circ. Nixes 50-Year Ponzi Sentence Due To Misinformation

    A former Texas lawyer who lost millions of dollars belonging to his clients as part of a sweeping Ponzi scheme has had his 50-year prison sentence vacated, after the Fifth Circuit agreed he was misled by the lower court regarding the maximum time he could face.

  • February 06, 2026

    Sen. Cruz Subpoena Nixed In Ex-Stone Hilton Employee's Suit

    An Austin, Texas, federal judge has quashed a subpoena seeking records from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's office amid a sexual harassment case against a Stone Hilton PLLC founding partner, finding the request would unduly burden the office.

  • February 06, 2026

    Graham Pushes Bill To Allow Suits Over Smith Investigations

    Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is working on a bill to allow nonmembers of Congress to sue for damages after being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith.

  • February 05, 2026

    Deel Loses Bid To DQ Quinn Emanuel In Trade Secrets Fight

    Payroll and human resources company Deel Inc. cannot have Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP disqualified from representing its competitor Rippling in a trade secrets fight, a Delaware judge ruled Thursday, saying there is no "clear conflict" that would require booting the BigLaw firm.

  • February 05, 2026

    Judge Says AI Errors Show Atty Can't 'Learn' From Mistakes

    A New York federal judge concluded that an attorney who repeatedly submitted filings with false AI-generated citations must be punished with case-terminating sanctions against a client he was defending in a trademark lawsuit, saying Thursday that the lawyer "has not, and apparently cannot, learn from his mistakes."

  • February 05, 2026

    Lima Can't Escape $200M In Arbitral Awards, Court Hears

    A contractor urged a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday to deny the Peruvian city of Lima's bid to overturn an order enforcing $200 million in arbitral awards against it based on an alleged conflict involving law firm Foley Hoag LLP, calling the motion a "stunt."

  • February 05, 2026

    Wash. Lawyer Faces Sanction Threat Over Alleged AI Errors

    A federal judge has ordered an attorney in Washington state to submit a sworn declaration explaining why she shouldn't be sanctioned for what opposing counsel claimed are dozens of artificial intelligence "hallucinations" across multiple case filings.

  • February 05, 2026

    NY Times Article Excerpts Admitted In Goldstein Trial

    Federal prosecutors pressing their case against SCOTUSblog co-founder Thomas Goldstein for tax evasion and misleading statements on mortgage applications were finally able on Thursday to present jurors with key statements the U.S. Supreme Court lawyer made to legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin for a long New York Times Magazine article.

  • February 05, 2026

    Ex-Alex Jones Atty Asks Conn. Justices To Nix Suspension

    A Connecticut attorney who formerly represented conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones in a $1.4 billion defamation case has asked the state's highest court to consider whether it was proper for a judge to suspend his law license for violating a protective order governing Sandy Hook families' personal information.

  • February 05, 2026

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Dual Representation DQ, Biting Censure

    The North Carolina Business Court kicked off 2026 with a flurry of rulings and a few rebukes from the bench, including partially disqualifying counsel in a restaurant mismanagement melee and censuring a solo attorney who sought to circumvent the specialized superior court's rules.

  • February 05, 2026

    Fake Case Pulled From Toshiba Malicious Prosecution Suit

    A former printer toner salesman is trying to salvage his lawsuit against Toshiba after the company flagged nonexistent citations, apologizing to the California federal court in a corrected brief Thursday defending claims that the electronics company manufactured a criminal case against him and others to maintain an illegal monopoly.

  • February 05, 2026

    Texas Atty Must Explain AI 'Misuse' In Employment Case

    A prominent civil rights attorney representing a University of Texas at Austin nurse in an employment discrimination case must explain why he shouldn't be sanctioned "for his apparent misuse of artificial intelligence" to research and write a brief, a Texas federal judge ruled.

  • February 05, 2026

    Judge Affirms Health Cos.' Sanctions For Witness Omission

    An Illinois federal judge rejected a "vague and unsupported" bid by a home healthcare company accused of violating federal kickback laws to reconsider sanctions she ordered for failing to disclose witnesses, saying the motion "wastes everyone's time" and scolding the defendants for "impugning the character and professionalism of an able magistrate judge."

  • February 05, 2026

    Mich. Justices Uphold One-Man Grand Jury Murder Conviction

    A man indicted by a judge and found guilty of murder cannot have another shot at his case simply because he wasn't charged by a grand jury, Michigan's highest court determined, finding that a change in state law disallowing one-man grand juries did not apply retroactively.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Arbitrator's Conviction Upheld

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    The Supreme Court of Spain recently upheld the criminal conviction of arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa for grave disobedience to judicial authority, rejecting the proposition that an arbitrator's independence can prevail over a court order retroactively disabling the very judicial act conferring arbitral jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

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    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Reel Justice: 'One Battle After Another' And The Limits Of Zeal

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    The political thriller “One Battle After Another,” following a former revolutionary who became a recluse, offers a potent metaphor for attorneys on diligence and the ethical boundaries of zealous advocacy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • 6th Circ. FirstEnergy Ruling Protects Key Legal Privileges

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent grant of mandamus relief in In re: First Energy Corp. confirms that the attorney-client privilege and work-product protections apply to internal investigation materials, ultimately advancing the public interest, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

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    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Series

    Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

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