DOJ Sidelines ABA From Vetting Trump's Judicial Picks

By Kevin Penton

The Justice Department plans to direct judicial nominees away from a long-standing vetting process by the American Bar Association, labeling it an "activist organization," according to a Thursday letter by Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

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Investors Allege Manhattan Firm Aided $43M Ponzi Scheme

By Emma Cueto

A pair of investors filed suit against New York-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP and two of its former attorneys on Thursday, alleging that the midsize firm and the attorneys, who have since departed for Saul Ewing LLP, lied on behalf of a client who has since been charged with running a $43 million Ponzi scheme.

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Influencer Hits Akin With Malpractice Suit Over Boxing Deal

By Lynn LaRowe

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and one of its Texas-based partners allegedly failed to understand California law in handling a financial dispute between a social media influencer and the company that hired him to participate in an amateur boxing competition, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in a Lone Star State federal court.

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Calif. Justices Propose Tweaking Rules For Bar Examiners

By Emily Sawicki

The California Supreme Court has proposed changes to the administration of the state's troubled bar exam, circulating a slate of amendments designed to clarify the role of the Committee of Bar Examiners, including spelling out its duty to review and approve all questions used in the exam.

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Ga. Justices Nix Reprimand For Solicitor General Over Theft

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Supreme Court has rejected former Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard's bid to receive a public reprimand after she pled guilty to stealing taxpayer dollars, finding that the suggested discipline is not enough.

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Mich. Judge Faces Watchdog Complaint For Disparaging Boss

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan state judge made profane, disparaging comments about his chief judge during livestreamed proceedings and via emails to court employees and improperly used his position to help a judicial candidate, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission said in a new complaint Wednesday.

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Insurer Wants Firm's $2.6M Malpractice Coverage Suit Tossed

By Chart Riggall

Berkshire unit National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. called on a Georgia federal judge this week to throw out a law firm's claims that it was hung out to dry by its insurers in a malpractice case, arguing the suit is an impermissible attempt to convert a contract dispute into a negligence claim.

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Fla. Panel Affirms Atty Conflict DQ In Construction Dispute

By Emily Sawicki

In a one-word opinion, Florida's Third District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court's decision to disqualify a plaintiff's attorney in a long-running construction ownership dispute after finding he briefly represented the defendant's surety company in a related matter.

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Panel Clears Hospital Of Contempt In 'Audit Trail' Dispute

By Y. Peter Kang

An Illinois appeals court on Thursday vacated a trial court's finding of contempt against a hospital in a suit over a newborn's injuries, saying there was insufficient evidence that a certain type of "audit trail" metadata existed in electronic health records.

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Car Dealership Settles Bias Case On Heels Of Recusal Bid

By Patrick Hoff

A Philadelphia auto dealership has resolved a former manager's suit in Pennsylvania federal court claiming her boss made inappropriate sexual remarks and propositioned her nearly every day, days after the company said a magistrate judge was inappropriately pushing it to settle.

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Ex-Atty's Death In Colo. Jail Sparks Suit Over Medical Neglect

By Craig Clough

The family of a disbarred attorney imprisoned for felony theft sued three members of the medical staff at the prison where he died, alleging in Colorado federal court Wednesday their neglect resulted in Steven Bachar dying from cardiac arrest after he asked for days for proper medical attention.

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Atty Urges 2nd Circ. To Resurrect Name Feud With Ex-Firm

By Elliot Weld

A lawyer has asked the Second Circuit to revive claims against his former firm, which he alleges used his name and likeness after he was fired, saying a judge's dismissal of those claims ignored the harm he personally suffered and the requirements of the Lanham Act.

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Restaurant Liable After Fraudster Steals $475K Settlement

By Mike Curley

A California appeals court has found in a case of first impression that a restaurant is responsible for $475,000 in settlement funds that its attorneys sent to a fraudster impersonating the other party in a personal injury suit, saying it missed a number of red flags in the impostor's correspondence.

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Series

Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

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Jenner & Block Fights DOJ Motion Over Exec Order

By Jake Maher

Jenner & Block LLP on Friday fought a bid from the U.S. Department of Justice to carve out part of a March executive order targeting the firm after the bulk of the order was tossed last week, in a dispute that could relate to future actions against the firm.

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Trump Blames Federalist Society For Trade Court Loss

By Cara Bayles

President Donald Trump blamed his recent, short-lived loss in the U.S. Court of International Trade both on judges he accused of hating him as well as on the Federalist Society — the conservative legal group that helped him with judicial selection during his first term — in a Truth Social post highlighting tensions within the conservative legal and political movements.

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AI Video Pushes Boundaries Of Victim Impact Statements

By Sarah Martinson

At the beginning of May, an Arizona state court judge permitted an artificial intelligence-generated victim impact statement of a deceased victim at a sentencing hearing, leaving some attorneys concerned about how admitting these types of videos might affect sentencing in other cases.

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Workplace Bullying Can't Be A Rite Of Passage For Attys

By Andrea Keckley

As more than half of young lawyers cite workplace toxicity as the reason they left their jobs, a panel of attorneys said Friday that many of the professionals they've listened to aren't willing to dismiss bullying as a rite of passage.

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Trump Taps Paul Ingrassia To Lead Special Counsel's Office

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump has nominated Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer and former right-wing writer, to lead the Office of Special Counsel after firing the previous one.

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More Californians Face Legal Issues, But Get Less Help

By Jack Karp

The gap between the need for civil legal services for Californians and the help that is actually available has grown over the past five years, as has the income level of those affected by that gap, according to a new study from the State Bar of California.

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AI Not Slowing Down Despite Ethical Risks, Experts Say

By Andrea Keckley

Following its rapid evolution in the past half-year alone, McDermott Will & Emery LLP Chief Information Officer Michael Shea predicted during a panel conversation Friday that artificial intelligence tools would see "pretty significant changes" over the next 12 months despite the challenges of putting guardrails around them.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

Saying that June's circuit court calendars include important arguments in all practice areas would be hyperbolic — but just slightly. That's because significant showdowns are imminent, involving appellate procedure principles, "click-to-cancel" rules, government procurement protests, judiciary employment protections and litigation risk insurance — as well as President Donald Trump's felony convictions and extraordinary deportation measures.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Clement & Murphy PLLC leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a D.C. federal judge struck down President Donald Trump's executive order targeting WilmerHale.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

An investor is asking the Delaware Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of a new state law that broadens the protection of corporations in shareholder suits. And hundreds of general counsel are joining an online forum to stand up for the rule of law after President Donald Trump's executive orders against several corporate law firms.

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Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Philippe & Jennifer Selendy

By Yun Park

Philippe and Jennifer Selendy, who met as associates at Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and married in 1997, each spent nearly three decades building distinguished legal careers. They now continue their partnership at Selendy Gay PLLC, founded in 2018, which has quickly grown into one of the nation's leading litigation firms, recovering more than $47 billion for their clients.

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