Legal Ethics

  • May 06, 2025

    Atty's Derisive Comments Warrant New Trial, NJ Panel Says

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Monday said that an attorney's comments during her opening and closing arguments in a trial over a real estate transaction gone wrong went way too far, vacating a jury's $420,000 verdict in favor of her clients.

  • May 06, 2025

    Relatives Shut Out Of Funds From BigLaw Atty's Slain Wife

    A Georgia state court judge said Tuesday that a prominent former Fisher Phillips attorney who fatally shot his wife could direct the proceeds of a wrongful death settlement to her godson and his family, beating back a "next of kin" claim to the funds from his wife's myriad cousins.

  • May 06, 2025

    Ex-Conrail CEO Says Saul Ewing Malpractice Suit Timely

    Former Conrail CEO David LeVan has asked a Philadelphia judge to reject Saul Ewing LLP's argument that his legal malpractice lawsuit against the firm should be deemed untimely, arguing his case over the firm's handling of legal issues stemming from a failed Gettysburg casino project was subject to a tolling agreement.

  • May 06, 2025

    Alex Jones' Atty Seeks Discipline Pause In Sandy Hook Leak

    Alex Jones' former lead Connecticut attorney has asked a state appeals court to pause the remaining seven days of a suspension he was handed for a role in transferring Sandy Hook families' confidential records to another Jones attorney in Texas, arguing the case should be stayed while he again appeals the punishment.

  • May 06, 2025

    Approach The Bench: Judge Robinson On Workplace Conduct

    A long-awaited survey of judiciary employees revealed misconduct is rare within the federal judiciary, but U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson says there's still plenty of work to be done.

  • May 06, 2025

    Temu Says IP Atty Lied To Bag Settlements For Clients

    Chinese e-commerce platform Temu accused a California intellectual property attorney of lying during critical negotiations to get the company to sign settlement deals for a street artist known for using the Mr. Monopoly character and a San Francisco apparel store.

  • May 05, 2025

    Ex-OneTaste Leaders Face Trial On Forced Labor Charges

    After nearly three years of bruising pretrial litigation, jury selection began Monday for OneTaste founder and "orgasmic meditation" advocate Nicole Daedone and her former deputy over allegations that they extracted free labor from followers by fostering an abusive environment at the sexual wellness company.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Bar Sues Administrator Over February Exam 'Chaos'

    The State Bar of California on Monday sued the vendor it used to administer the February bar exam after "chaos ensued" as a result of pervasive technical glitches, saying the vendor misrepresented its ability to proctor the exam, and it won't hand over data that could shed light on what went wrong.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Atty Gets 21 Months In Prison For $8.8M Investor Scam

    An Orange County lawyer who purported to provide short-term high-interest loans to the rich and famous but used the funds to gamble away about $8.8 million at Las Vegas casinos and live a lavish lifestyle was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday in California federal court.

  • May 05, 2025

    Susman Godfrey Urges Court To Follow Perkins Coie EO Win

    The president doesn't have the power to "exact revenge against a law firm" for representing certain clients and causes, Susman Godfrey LLP told a D.C. federal judge Monday, asking her to "follow the same course" as the judge who granted Perkins Coie LLP permanent relief from a presidential order.

  • May 05, 2025

    Traxcell Fights $500K Atty Fee Owed To Verizon At Fed. Circ.

    A bankrupt patent-holding company that owes more than $500,000 in attorney fees to Verizon Wireless has told the Federal Circuit that Verizon waited too long after beating its telecommunications patent case to request the fees.

  • May 05, 2025

    PTAB Judge Wins $125K For Whistleblowing Retaliation

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office must pay a Patent Trial and Appeal Board judge more than $125,000 to compensate for retaliation he experienced due to speaking out about misconduct, the Merit Systems Protection Board has ruled.

  • May 05, 2025

    Kirkland And Other Law Firms Explain Deals With Trump

    The most recent law firms to cut deals with the Trump administration told lawmakers in letters, obtained by Law360 on Monday, that the deals affirmed their commitment to merit-based hiring and to pro bono work as they continue to choose their own clients.

  • May 05, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Palin, Fox, Crime Podcasters

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in two voting technology companies' cases against news organizations that claimed they helped rig the 2020 election.

  • May 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Slams University's Args In En Banc Denial

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday denied en banc review of a panel's decision to revive a Chicago law professor's retaliation suit after he was disciplined for including a redacted racist slur on an exam, with one judge suggesting the university's failure to invoke arguments over its right to academic freedom meant the appeal didn't justify consideration by the full court.

  • May 05, 2025

    Critical Deadline For Interim DC US Attorney Ed Martin Nears

    The clock might be ticking on Ed Martin's tenure as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

  • May 05, 2025

    Pa. District Paid Female Teachers Thousands Less, Jury Told

    Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania unfairly paid female teachers less than their male counterparts, in some cases by tens of thousands of dollars despite holding the same jobs, a federal jury was told Monday.

  • May 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Affirms Funder's Loss In Fraud Suit Against Law Firm

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday upheld an Illinois federal court's rulings ending a litigation funder's claims that a law firm illegally dropped the funder to represent a former employee and her competing venture, saying the lower court's detailed orders show it carefully resolved the issue.

  • May 05, 2025

    Ex-Seton Hall President Asks To Add Conspiracy Claim To Suit

    Seton Hall University's former president is seeking to add claims to his whistleblower suit against the school alleging that it conspired to "disparage" him in the press partly in retaliation for reporting sexual abuse-related allegations about the school's current president.

  • May 05, 2025

    Shutts & Bowen Takes Aim At Malpractice Suit Over Club Sale

    Florida firm Shutts & Bowen LLP and one of its partners pushed back against a real estate corporation's malpractice lawsuit alleging they sank the sale of a country club with a motion requesting the court either transfer or dismiss the case.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Justices Adjust Bar Exam Passing Score Amid Turmoil

    In an en banc ruling, the California Supreme Court approved adjustments to the passing score for the state bar's embattled February bar exam in line with a formal request by the California Bar Association, resulting in the highest passing rates for the exam in close to five years.

  • May 05, 2025

    Morgan & Morgan Pushes To Arbitrate Malpractice Claims

    Morgan & Morgan is urging a Georgia federal court to send a former client's malpractice class claims into arbitration and reject his bid to move the case to state court, arguing the matter belongs there, and the client agreed to arbitrate such disputes.

  • May 05, 2025

    Justice Dept. Seeks To Nix ABA Suit Over Terminated Grants

    The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to throw out the American Bar Association's lawsuit over the termination of grants to the ABA's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, arguing the courts lack power to force the government to honor a contractual obligation.

  • May 05, 2025

    Agri Stats Wants Judge Recused From DOJ Case

    Agri Stats asked the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the government's case accusing the data firm of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information to recuse himself because one of his law clerks previously worked on the case for one of the state enforcers.

  • May 05, 2025

    Veterans Look To Bar Firm's Contacts With Potential Class

    Veterans urged a North Carolina federal judge to bar a consulting firm from contacting potential class members about litigation accusing the firm of charging illegal fees, saying it has emailed tens of thousands of them asking to help with the firm's defense.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

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