Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Courts
-
Dunn Can't Nix Fiduciary Breach Charge As Ethics Trial Wraps
A California state bar judge denied Joseph Dunn's bid at the close of his disciplinary trial Thursday to toss a fiduciary breach charge, rejecting the former state bar executive director's argument that no evidence had been introduced to support the allegation.
-
Fed. Circ. Maintains Newman Can't Invalidate Disability Law
Suspended U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman has still not proven that the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act has no constitutional uses and should therefore be invalidated, the Federal Circuit's judicial council told a D.C. federal judge Thursday.
-
Tully Rinckey Fights Suspension Bid In Atty Contract Dust-Up
An attorney for Tully Rinckey PLLC's two founders told a D.C. legal ethics board on Thursday that a proposal to suspend his clients over restrictions the firm placed on departing lawyers was "a totally disproportionate response" to the allegations against them.
-
State High Court Shadow Dockets Raise Secrecy Concerns
Like their counterparts on the U.S. Supreme Court, the justices on some state high courts are working in the shadows when issuing certain decisions, raising fears that their time-saving measures are not worth the cost in transparency.
-
Dems Propose Inspector General For High Court, Judiciary
Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would create an inspector general's office for the judicial branch to investigate and report on allegations of misconduct lodged against U.S. Supreme Court justices, as well as judges throughout the federal judiciary.
-
Ousted Clerk Was A 'Loose Cannon,' NC Justices Told
An attorney who started proceedings that led to the ouster of former Franklin County Clerk of Court Patricia Chastain urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to keep her out of office, arguing that she undermined judicial authority through a series of incidents, including a "vulgar" accidental call to a magistrate judge.
-
Feds Fight George Santos' 'Meritless' Brady Violation Claims
Federal prosecutors are urging the Eastern District of New York to deny former U.S. Rep. George Santos' motion for a one-month delay in filing deadlines over allegations that the government withheld evidence in its fraud and campaign finance suit against him, calling the Long Island Republican's request "pretextual and meritless."
-
Atty Wants Law Firm Subpoenaed In $12M Somali Fraud Case
A Maryland attorney accused of misappropriating more than $12 million in Somali state assets has asked a federal judge to subpoena his former firm, Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker PA, to produce his employment records.
-
Ohio Ex-Atty Gets Prison For Bilking Real Estate Clients
A former real estate attorney has been sentenced to four to six years of prison on charges he used his title company to steal from clients, the Ohio attorney general's office said Thursday.
-
Immigrant Sues USCIS Over Denial Of I-130 Bids For Children
A naturalized U.S. citizen sued the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Wednesday, demanding the agency reverse a decision that she said improperly denied her I-130 petitions for permanent residency for her four children.
-
Atty In Tax Fraud Must Pay Full $2.5M Per Plea Deal, Feds Say
A former Houston attorney set to be sentenced Friday for his role in an $18 million offshore tax scheme is trying to limit the government's ability to collect $2.5 million in restitution he promised to pay in a plea agreement last year, prosecutors told a Texas federal court Thursday.
-
3rd Circ. Hesitates To Hear Hunter Biden Appeal In Gun Case
The Third Circuit suggested it may be premature to hear Hunter Biden's appeal of a Delaware federal court's denial of his three motions to dismiss felony firearm charges.
-
7th Circ. Nom Heads To Senate Despite GOP Backlog Criticism
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced five judicial nominees Thursday, including U.S. District Judge Nancy L. Maldonado, a nominee for the Seventh Circuit, whom Republicans had questioned about a backlog of cases in her court.
-
Ex-NJ Lawyer Can't Erase Fraud Conviction, Feds Say
Federal prosecutors told a New Jersey federal judge Wednesday the latest bid by ex-attorney Michael Kwasnik to undo his conviction and 18-year prison sentence for defrauding his clients of $13 million should meet the same fate as his previous efforts — dismissal.
-
Jury Of 12 Picked For Trump Hush Money Case In NY
A jury of 12 New Yorkers was selected Thursday for the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump on charges he falsified business records to keep news of an extramarital affair from damaging his 2016 electoral prospects.
-
Cooley Adds Senior Capitol Hill Atty To Investigations Team
Cooley LLP has hired a senior Capitol Hill attorney who has spent the majority of her career helping lawmakers and the American public understand complex congressional and national investigations, the firm announced Thursday.
-
Ethics Panel Douses Judge DQ Talk In 5th Circ. CFPB Case
A judicial ethics panel has concluded that recusal isn't automatically required for the Fifth Circuit judge whose financial disclosures have fueled calls for his disqualification from litigation challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule.
-
'It Has To End': Justices Mull Finality In 32-Year Murder Saga
In its second review of drug-fueled, baseball bat killings during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday pondered steering an Arizona man's capital punishment challenge toward conclusion, perhaps by handling evidentiary tasks normally left to lower courts.
-
UC Berkeley Law Dean Vouches For Dunn At Disciplinary Trial
University of California, Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky testified as a character witness Wednesday in attorney Joseph Dunn's disciplinary trial, saying he holds the ousted California State Bar executive director in the highest regard, and his opinion is unlikely to change whatever the trial's outcome.
-
Menendez Trial Date In Limbo Over Pact On Atty's Testimony
A co-defendant's reticence has stalled an agreement on the scope of a Gibbons PC attorney's testimony in the bribery case of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen, leaving the much-litigated trial date of May 6 in limbo.
-
Ex-Trump Atty: Colo. Discipline Claims Barred By Prior Case
Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis has told a Colorado disciplinary judge that the state can't bring a pair of new claims against her for criminal conduct and dishonesty related to her guilty plea in Georgia, arguing that the state could have investigated those issues in an earlier case but did not.
-
Rebut Or Regret? Baldwin Faces Quandary In 'Rust' Trial
The stiff prison sentence handed to the "Rust" film armorer convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer offers potential lessons for actor-producer Alec Baldwin, who experts say must walk a fine line between denying fault and expressing sympathy over his involvement in the tragic incident as he faces trial on the same charge.
-
Bankman-Fried Appeal May Cite Unusual Preview Testimony
Sam Bankman-Fried's appeal of his conviction and 25-year prison sentence may cite a "rather unprecedented" trial procedure in which the FTX founder gave provisional testimony before officially taking the witness stand last year, one of his attorneys said Wednesday.
-
GOP Sens. Raise Ethical Concerns Over 6th Circ. Nominee
Republicans went after a nominee for the Sixth Circuit during a hearing on Wednesday over allegations that he has behaved unethically as a prosecuting attorney, and that the White House picked him through a "backroom deal."
-
NJ Justices Won't Hold Prosecutor Org. To Transparency Law
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey is not a public agency and is therefore not subject to record requests under the state's transparency law.
Expert Analysis
-
Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan
Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.
-
Priorities For Improving The Legal Industry In Texas
To assist Texas lawyers in effectively executing their duties, we should be working on succession planning, attorney wellness, and increasing understanding of the grievance system by both bar members and the public, says Laura Gibson, president of the State Bar of Texas.
-
Leading Your Law Firm's Creation Of A New Practice Group
Marjorie Peerce and Peter Jaslow at Ballard Spahr discuss the challenges of building a new law firm practice group from the ground up, and how sustained commitment, communication and collaboration are the key ingredients for success.
-
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates?
Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.
-
10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems
Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.
-
Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law
The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.
-
Incorporating ADA Guidance Into Lawyer Wellness Movement
The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
-
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can New Partners Generate Business?
Christine Wong at MoFo discusses how newly elected partners can prioritize business development by creating a strategic plan with the firm's marketing team and strengthening relationships with professional and personal networks.
-
9 Writing Tips From The Justices' Opinions Last Term
Hidden in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions from the last term are each justice’s talents for crafting choice turns of phrase, highlighting best practices for attorneys to jump-start their own writing, says Ross Guberman at BriefCatch.
-
What Web3 Means For Lawyers' Ethical Duties
As law firms embrace Web3 technologies by accepting cryptocurrency as payment for legal fees, investing in metaverse departments and more, lawyers should remember their ethical duties to warn clients of the benefits and risks of technology in a murky regulatory environment, says Heidi Frostestad Kuehl at Northern Illinois University College of Law.
-
NY's Cybersecurity CLE Rule Is A Sign Of Changing Times
New York's recently announced requirement that lawyers complete cybersecurity training as part of their continuing legal education is a reminder that securing client information is more complicated in an increasingly digital world, and that expectations around attorneys' technology competence are changing, says Jason Schwent at Clark Hill.
-
Opinion
Law Firms Stressing Work-Life Balance Are Missing The Mark
Law firms struggling to attract and retain lawyers are institutionalizing work-life balance through hybrid work models, but such balance is elusive in a client services and tech-dependent world, underscoring the need for firms to instead aim for attorney empowerment and true balance within — not outside — the workplace, says Joe Pack at Pack Law.
-
A Law Student's Guide To Thriving As A Summer Associate
Summer associates are expected to establish a favorable reputation and develop genuine relationships in a few short weeks, but several time management, attitude and communication principles can help them make the most of their time and secure an offer for a full-time position, says Joseph Marciano, who was a 2022 summer associate at Reed Smith.
-
Burnout Prevention Requires Effort From Attys And Firms
To avoid physical and emotional exhaustion, attorneys must respect their own and their colleagues' personal and professional boundaries, but law firms must also play a role in discouraging burnout culture — especially if they are struggling with attorney retention, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
-
How I Owned My Power As An Asian American Woman In Law
Gibson Dunn's Debra Yang shares the bumps in her journey to becoming the first female Asian American U.S. attorney, a state judge and a senior partner in BigLaw, and how other women can face their self-doubts and blaze their own trails to success amid systemic obstacles.