New Bill Holds Judges Accountable Even After They Retire

By Hailey Konnath

A Georgia Congressman on Thursday introduced legislation that would ensure misconduct complaints against judges would still be investigated, even if the judge has resigned, retired or even died.

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20 Former Federal Judges Launch Group To Defend Judiciary

By Jake Maher

Twenty former federal district and circuit judges on Thursday launched a coalition to speak out about and defend the federal judiciary as political impeachment attempts against judges increase and the federal courts system faces heightened scrutiny.

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Ex-Exec's Claims Against Dechert Still No Good, 2nd Circ. Told

By Pete Brush

A North Carolina trade executive's latest trip to the Second Circuit in his quest to win damages for alleged hacking by a private investigator on Dechert LLP's behalf should end like the others, with a dismissal, defense counsel argued Thursday.

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Paul Hastings, GenapSys Settle Calif. Legal Malpractice Suit

By James Mills

The legal malpractice suit in which gene sequencing company GenapSys Inc. argued Paul Hastings LLP caused GenapSys' bankruptcy appears to have been settled.

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GOP Seeks To Stop 'Frivolous Lawsuits' With Reconciliation

By Courtney Bublé

The House Judiciary Committee approved along party lines a proposal they say will prevent "frivolous lawsuits" by barring courts from enforcing contempt citations for failure to comply with injunctions if the plaintiff has not posted a bond for litigation costs.

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Florida Ethics Panel Wants Judge Booted Over Campaign Talk

By Emily Sawicki

A Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission panel has "reluctantly, but of necessity" recommended the removal of a Florida judge found to have made inappropriate comments about abortion amid an election campaign, stating that the judge showed a lack of remorse for her actions in testimony before the panel.

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Fla. Justices Call For Suspension Of Judge In Ethics Case

By Rose Krebs

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a recommendation by an ethics watchdog that a state judge should only be reprimanded and fined for improper campaign donations and discussions about her own reelection campaign, saying she should also get a 10-day suspension.

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Colo. Judge Resigns Amid Allegations Over Misuse Of Bench

By Thy Vo

A Colorado state judge resigned on Wednesday amid a disciplinary complaint accusing him of misusing his position to help a former client that he exchanged sexual and flirtatious texts with, telling an independent panel in a brief that it no longer needs to hear a disciplinary case against him.

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Drew Eckl Digs In To Force Breakaway Firm's Arbitration

By Chart Riggall

Drew Eckl & Farnham LLP renewed its calls for the Supreme Court of Georgia to reconsider an appellate panel's ruling that a breakaway law firm can't be forced to arbitrate a fee dispute, arguing the Georgia Court of Appeals' ruling last month "should not be allowed to become the law."

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McCarter & English Fights Ex-Client's $1M Fee Reduction Bid

By Aaron Keller

A former McCarter & English LLP client waited too long to challenge interest calculations that added more than $1 million to an attorney fee award, the firm has argued, asking a judge to reject Jarrow Formulas Inc.'s bid to reduce a March 12 judgment totaling $3.8 million.

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Okla. DAs Say Tribes Can't Overrule State Court Opinion

By Joyce Hanson

Two Oklahoma district attorneys have urged a federal court to throw out Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw nation lawsuits challenging the district attorneys' attempts to prosecute tribal citizens for crimes committed in Indian Country, arguing that their complaints wrongly seek to overturn a state criminal court opinion.

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Claims Against Attys In $2.6B Casino Merger Row Get Tossed

By Emily Sawicki

A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday permanently ended claims a real estate investor in a botched $2.6 billion Philippine casino deal brought against attorneys from Sadis & Goldberg LLP, finding that claims that they allowed a fraud to unfold and breached their fiduciary duties were too vague.

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Landscaping Co. Must Face Trial In Unpaid OT Suit

By Emmy Freedman

A jury should determine whether landscape workers are owed overtime wages or if they fall under an exemption from the premium pay, a Kansas federal judge ruled while finding the H-2B visa applications their employer filed did not include a promise to pay the extra wages.

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5th Circ. Keeps NFL Pension Plan's Atty Fee Appeal Afloat

By David Steele

The NFL retirement plan's appeal of a $1.86 million award of attorney fees and expenses to a former player fighting for additional disability benefits will go forward, after a panel of the Fifth Circuit rejected his bid to stop it.

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Series

Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

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Attys Join Nationwide 'Day Of Action' Rallies For Rule Of Law

By Ryan Boysen and Jack Rodgers

Thousands of attorneys gathered at rallies across the country on Thursday to oppose what they called the Trump administration's "assault" on the rule of law — a rare public demonstration for the normally buttoned-down and risk-averse professionals that they said "sounds the alarm of a looming constitutional crisis."

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Analysis

Hair, Makeup, Legal: The Lawyering Behind The Met Gala

By Theresa Schliep

While the red carpet arrivals of the biggest names in the entertainment industry are sure to win the most attention at the Met Gala on Monday, attorneys also play a significant role in advising the brands and celebrities at the center of fashion's biggest night.

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5 Fed. Circ. Clashes To Watch This Month

By Ryan Davis

The Federal Circuit's argument calendar for May includes appeals of two nine-figure patent verdicts — one against Apple and one against Medtronic — and Roku's bid to revive its remote control patent suit at the U.S. International Trade Commission after a loss tied to the commission's domestic industry requirement.

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Senate Panel Delays A Vote On Martin Nomination For US Atty

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday held off for now a vote to call for a hearing on Ed Martin's nomination for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a move Democrats say would allow more time to review his record and, they hope, convince enough Republicans to help them block his nomination.

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The Top In-House Hires Of April

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires over the past month included high-profile appointments at FanDuel's parent company, American Airlines and soda business Swig. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from the first full month of spring.

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