Legal Ethics

  • October 30, 2025

    McCarter & English Used Doctrine As 'Whipsaw,' Panel Hears

    A biotech company on Thursday urged a New Jersey appellate panel to revive its legal malpractice suit against McCarter & English LLP, arguing that the claims were distinct from the firm's own suit seeking unpaid fees.

  • October 30, 2025

    Fla. Attys Face Stricter Penalty For Settling Dead Client's Case

    The Florida Supreme Court justices on Thursday said they favored a three-year suspension for two attorneys facing ethics charges, rejecting a recommended 18-month penalty for settling a client's case after he died. 

  • October 30, 2025

    Suspended NC Atty Fights Disbarment Bid Over Tax Issues

    A North Carolina attorney currently serving a five-year suspension for misconduct, including tax crimes and commingling funds in a client trust account, is fighting the state bar's appeal seeking to disbar him, telling the state's intermediate appeals court that his failure to withhold income taxes from his own wages is not a crime.

  • October 30, 2025

    Sidley's 'Incomplete' Story Hid Fraud Scheme, Family Says

    A family alleging it was roped into an illegal tax sheltering scheme on the advice of a former Sidley Austin LLP attorney has urged a Georgia federal judge to keep its suit against the firm alive, arguing a jury should decide when the family knew enough about the fraud to move forward with its claims.

  • October 30, 2025

    Habba Cites Essayli Ruling To Defend Role In NJ Cases

    The U.S. Department of Justice has urged the Third Circuit to reinstate Alina Habba's authority in two criminal prosecutions, arguing a recent California ruling backs her power to supervise cases as first assistant, even if she's barred from acting as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey under federal vacancy law.

  • October 30, 2025

    Ethics Atty Says Tattler's Timing Supports 'Blackmail' Threat

    A Pennsylvania attorney told a Florida bankruptcy court that debtors he'd been trying to collect from for years had unreported assets, just days after he allegedly threatened their lawyer that he would do so if they didn't pay up, state ethics watchdogs told a disciplinary panel Thursday.

  • October 30, 2025

    Comey Wins Bid For Judge Oversight In Privilege Dispute

    A Virginia federal judge has appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick to preside over the privilege review of seized materials in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against former FBI Director James Comey, denying the DOJ's proposal for an outside "filter team" of government attorneys to conduct the review themselves.

  • October 29, 2025

    DOJ Subpoena Called 'Pressure' To Ax Gender-Affirming Care

    The U.S. Department of Justice issued a subpoena to intimidate a telehealth organization into ending gender-affirming medical care, a Seattle federal judge said in a ruling that found the agency is using the guise of an investigation to further the Trump administration's stated goal of eliminating transgender and gender-diverse patients' access to healthcare.

  • October 29, 2025

    DOJ Says State AGs Can't 'Second-Guess' HPE Merger Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice and Hewlett Packard Enterprise separately urged a California federal judge Tuesday not to let a dozen state attorneys general peek behind the controversial settlement clearing HPE's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, arguing public comment, not direct intervention, is their appropriate role.

  • October 29, 2025

    OpenAI Co-Founder Dodges Musk Contempt Bid, For Now

    A California federal magistrate judge refused Wednesday to let Elon Musk tee up contempt proceedings against an OpenAI co-founder for limiting what he'd say in a court-ordered second deposition and imposing conditions on a key document in the California federal court lawsuit challenging the ChatGPT maker's transition to a for-profit structure.

  • October 29, 2025

    GOP Senators Push For Judge Boasberg's Impeachment

    Republican lawmakers are once again musing about impeaching federal judges as they investigate the probe into President Donald Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

  • October 29, 2025

    Ga. Panel Backs Sanctions For 'Delaying Tactic' In Pot Dispute

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday backed sanctions rulings against two companies that filed litigation after they were denied cannabis licenses by Georgia, only to draw out the proceedings for years before dropping their claims at "quite literally the last minute."

  • October 29, 2025

    Halligan Defends Exchange With Reporter Flagged By James

    Federal prosecutors argued that special media restrictions aren't needed in their case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, after her lawyers called out U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan's texts to a reporter in a filing last week and asked the court for an order barring further media communications.

  • October 29, 2025

    7th Circ. Skeptical Of Bid To Toss Ex-Atty's Bribery Conviction

    Judges on a Seventh Circuit panel appeared doubtful Wednesday of a former attorney's contention that he never bribed ex-Chicago Alderman Ed Burke and was merely seeking to hire him for a legal matter.

  • October 29, 2025

    2 Firms Beat Malpractice Suit Over Ice Cream Biz

    A New Jersey state judge has mostly dismissed a Florida physician's legal malpractice suit against Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis LLP, Fox Rothschild LLP, another firm and several attorneys whom he accused of botching documents in a low-calorie ice cream business project.

  • October 29, 2025

    Schools Point To Apple Ruling In Financial Aid-Fixing Case

    The remaining universities being accused of fixing financial aid offerings have told an Illinois federal court that a recent decision decertifying a class of Apple consumers supports denying a class certification bid from the former students.

  • October 29, 2025

    Netflix Settles Former India Legal Director's Gender Bias Suit

    Netflix has settled a wrongful termination and gender discrimination suit filed by the company's former director of business and legal affairs in India, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court filing.

  • October 29, 2025

    McCarter & English Booted From NJ Food Biz Fight

    McCarter & English LLP was disqualified from representing the estate of a food industry executive's former business partner after a New Jersey federal judge determined that the firm represented the executive in the past which has created a conflict of interest.

  • October 29, 2025

    Pa. Judge Accused Of COVID Fraud Scores Diversion Deal

    A Pennsylvania federal court on Wednesday formally terminated jury selection and halted a trial set to begin next week, one day after approving a diversion agreement between prosecutors and a state judge charged with misusing COVID-19 unemployment relief money.

  • October 29, 2025

    Alston & Bird Sanctioned $10K For LinkedIn Juror Research

    A California federal judge has sanctioned Alston & Bird LLP $10,000 for conducting juror research on LinkedIn ahead of a trial in which it fended off $174 million in patent infringement claims against GoPro, saying privacy has been eroded in the age of the internet, and he considers LinkedIn research to be juror contact because of the notifications it sends to users.

  • October 29, 2025

    Creek Board Fights Contempt Bid Over Citizenship Delay

    The Creek Nation Citizenship Board says it has not had time to comply with a tribal Supreme Court order that gave citizenship rights to two members of the Muscogee Creek Freedmen Band, arguing that their bid for contempt is unnecessary.

  • October 28, 2025

    LA's Acting US Atty Essayli 'Not Lawfully Serving,' Judge Says

    Bill Essayli "is not lawfully serving" as the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, a federal judge ruled Tuesday evening, disqualifying President Donald Trump's pick from serving in that role while declining to outright toss indictments in three criminal cases under his supervision.

  • October 28, 2025

    DC Bar Flags Ethics Risks For Law Firm Deals With Gov't

    A District of Columbia Bar committee said in a new opinion that law firms and attorneys must consider conflicts of interest and other possible ethics issues before entering into agreements with the government that may "limit or shape their law practices."

  • October 28, 2025

    Law Firm Countersues Lender In Battle Over Fraudulent Loan

    A North Carolina law firm hit back Tuesday against a mortgage lender's professional negligence suit over a $510,000 loan a borrower alleged was fraudulent, arguing in a countersuit that the lender failed to properly verify the identities of the purported borrowers.

  • October 28, 2025

    Former NATO Adviser Heads To UN For Legal Affairs Role

    A former legal adviser at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been appointed to serve the United States in the position of assistant secretary-general for legal affairs at the United Nations.

Expert Analysis

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

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