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Legal Ethics
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April 11, 2025
Patent Exec Hasn't Yet Proven Defamation In Baker Botts Case
A Florida federal judge held Friday that it's too early to rule in favor of a patent licensing company executive accusing a Baker Botts LLP attorney of defamation, ruling that there are still "material facts in dispute."
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April 11, 2025
21 AGs Back WilmerHale, Jenner & Block Over Trump Order
A coalition of 21 attorneys general Friday filed briefs in support of WilmerHale and Jenner & Block LLP as the firms challenge President Donald Trump's retaliatory executive orders in D.C. federal court, arguing that the directives unconstitutionally punish the firms for representing people and causes the president doesn't like.
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April 11, 2025
Ga. Law Firm Says Lender's Malpractice Suit Is Doomed
An Atlanta real estate law firm has urged a federal judge to toss a lender's legal malpractice suit alleging the firm bungled the paperwork of a $2 million closing, arguing the lawsuit fails to meet the most basic standard for such a claim — an existing attorney-client relationship.
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April 11, 2025
Attorney Owners Of Pot Co. Accused Of $46M RICO Scheme
A Florida-based real estate lender is suing two attorneys with civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy in New York federal court, alleging they engaged in racketeering in connection with more than $46 million in loans intended to fund cannabis facilities they own in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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April 11, 2025
Judge Won't Exit Broker Fee Case Over Donations To Wife
A Missouri federal judge said a real estate firm's bid to boot him from a class action over commission fees may have been driven more by litigation strategy than ethical concerns over campaign contributions made by opposing counsel to his wife, a Kansas City councilwoman.
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April 11, 2025
Hodges & Foty Attys Dissolve Houston Firm To End Spat
The co-founders and name partners of Houston law firm Hodges & Foty LLP have agreed to dissolve the firm and settle claims that arose as their partnership soured.
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April 11, 2025
Texas, Washington Immigration Firm Rivals Settle Suit
A Washington state-based immigration firm and a Texas rival have agreed to settle a trade secrets battle between them, telling a Houston federal court they've agreed to drop all the allegations in the case.
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April 11, 2025
NJ AG Cleared To Appeal Ex-Prosecutor's Resignation Claim
The New Jersey Superior Court's Appellate Division granted Attorney General Matthew Platkin's request to rule on a lawsuit from a former Warren County prosecutor claiming that Platkin misled him into resigning from his post last year.
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April 11, 2025
Hagens Berman Sanctioned Over Disappearing Client
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is facing monetary sanctions in a proposed class action against Apple and Amazon, after a Washington federal judge said the firm misled her about a problem client who disappeared and wasted the court's time in the process.
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April 11, 2025
Alex Jones' Sandy Hook Atty Lands 7-Day Suspension Credit
Alex Jones' former lead Connecticut attorney will be suspended for only one additional week because of a prior sit-out in 2023, a state court judge has clarified, saying she hadn't considered that Norm Pattis was previously benched while he appealed his discipline for his role in transferring Sandy Hook families' confidential records to another Jones attorney.
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April 11, 2025
Ex-Girardi CFO Gets 10 Years For 'Devastating' Fraud
A California federal judge sentenced Girardi Keese's former chief financial officer to just over 10 years in prison Friday for aiding firm leader Tom Girardi's $15 million client theft scheme while also embezzling $6 million for himself, saying the two interrelated schemes "had devastating and far-reaching effects."
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April 11, 2025
Keller Postman Denies Breaching Arbitration Deal With Tubi
Keller Postman LLC shot back at Tubi Inc.'s claims that it violated an agreement meant to cool a heated dispute amid the video streaming service's tortious interference suit over mass arbitration against its user agreement, with the firm arguing it "complied with every stipulation it made to this court."
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April 10, 2025
Prosecutor's Sexting With Ex-Judge Was Misconduct, DOJ Says
The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded that a federal prosecutor in Alaska who accused former U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred of coercing her into a sexually charged "abusive relationship" committed intentional professional misconduct when she stayed silent about their interactions and continued arguing cases in his courtroom.
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April 10, 2025
Puerto Rico Judge Says Atty Plagiarized Climate Complaint
Calling it a "cautionary tale for all members of the bar," a Puerto Rico federal judge has upbraided an attorney representing San Juan for plagiarizing the complaint and other briefs in the municipality's lawsuit alleging energy industrial giants misrepresented the climate dangers of fossil fuel products.
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April 10, 2025
Judge DQs Atty Suing FIFA Over Antitrust Allegations
A Puerto Rican federal judge on Thursday disqualified an attorney suing FIFA and local affiliates over allegedly blocking rival soccer leagues, saying the lawyer cannot simultaneously be a plaintiff, counsel and factual witness.
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April 10, 2025
NH Justice Launches New Bids To Toss Criminal Charges
A New Hampshire Supreme Court justice has launched a new series of motions to dismiss charges she interfered with the state attorney general's investigation of her husband, after two earlier dismissal bids failed.
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April 10, 2025
Mass. Officials, Feds On A 'Low Boil' After Midtrial ICE Arrest
The midtrial immigration arrest of a Dominican national during his Massachusetts court case has raised tensions between federal and state prosecutors and threatens to injure cooperation between the offices, experts say.
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April 10, 2025
House Panel Ditches Bid For Northwestern Law Info After Suit
A U.S. House committee on Thursday backed away from an earlier request for documents about the funding and governance of legal clinics at Northwestern University's law school, citing "ongoing negotiations" with the university just one day after two Northwestern law professors alleged in federal court that they were being unlawfully targeted for purported "left-wing advocacy."
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April 10, 2025
Ex-Trump Attys Seek To Block Jan. 6 Info In Mich. Ethics Case
Attorneys accused of violating ethics rules amid their involvement in a legal challenge to Michigan's 2020 presidential election results and supporting President Donald Trump's election fraud theories have urged the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board's hearing panel not to accept evidence or witnesses regarding the events of Jan. 6, 2021, arguing they are "completely irrelevant."
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April 10, 2025
Judge Romance Fee Disputes Moved From Bankruptcy Court
A Texas federal district court agreed to preside over a suit brought by the U.S. Trustee's Office to make Jackson Walker LLP forfeit fees from more than 30 cases overseen by a former bankruptcy judge who was romantically involved with a one time-partner from the firm.
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April 10, 2025
Conn. Firm Fights Atty Fee Award In Client's Suit Over Scam
Connecticut law firm Mancini Provenzano & Futtner LLC has asked a Constitution State court to reconsider its decision to award attorney fees and prejudgment interest to a former client after a fraudster used the firm's email system to rob the client of $90,586, arguing there was no bad faith to warrant such an award.
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April 10, 2025
Conn. Justices Seem Open To Redo Of Atty's Scam Damages
Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court appeared sympathetic Thursday to an attorney's argument that they should boost the damages he won against scammers in an identity theft case, and asked probing questions about how the $450,000 award was calculated, then recalculated, in two lower courts.
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April 10, 2025
Carlton Fields Beats DQ Bid In Fla. $500M Miss America Suit
A Florida federal judge denied a bid to disqualify Carlton Fields in a $500 million lawsuit over the ownership of the company that runs the Miss America pageant, saying such a remedy is extraordinary, and that the allegations are "scattered and speculative."
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April 10, 2025
Del. Justices Urged To Revive Gellert Seitz Malpractice Case
A homebuilder is asking the Delaware Supreme Court to undo Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC's win in a legal malpractice case over damages the builder says it suffered due to negligent representation in loan restructuring disputes with a bank.
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April 10, 2025
Consumer Wants Steam Award Axed, Says Arbitrator Used AI
A consumer has asked a California federal court to vacate an arbitral award issued in favor of Valve Corp., the company behind the PC game marketplace Steam, accusing the case's arbitrator of improperly relying on artificial intelligence.
Expert Analysis
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
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.
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How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
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.
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Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories
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.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
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.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
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.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
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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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
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.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
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.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
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.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
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.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
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.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
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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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.