Legal Ethics

  • February 26, 2025

    Walmart Injury Suit Wrongly Axed For Fraud, Panel Says

    A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday revived a suit seeking to hold Walmart liable for injuries suffered by a woman who allegedly ate contaminated chicken from the store, saying possible lies the woman told during a deposition didn't warrant dismissal.

  • February 26, 2025

    Calif. AG's Hiring Of Lieff Cabraser In Climate Suit Challenged

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta improperly hired Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP to assist with the state's climate deception suit against fossil fuel companies when attorneys in his office were capable of handling the litigation, the union representing the public lawyers contended in a newly filed state court complaint.

  • February 26, 2025

    Debt Collectors Accused Of Preying On Fla. Military Members

    Two debt collectors operating in Florida are accused of repeatedly violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by filing lawsuits to collect consumer debt from military service members after the statutes of limitation expired on claims, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in federal court in Jacksonville.

  • February 26, 2025

    GOP Reps. Criticize Judges At 'Impeachathon'

    A trio of House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a list of federal judges they're targeting for impeachment as they, along with presidential adviser Elon Musk, go after those who rule against the Trump administration's executive actions.

  • February 26, 2025

    No DQ For Norton Rose In Texas Competition Row, Court Says

    Norton Rose Fulbright shouldn't be disqualified in a competitive spat between two industrial maintenance companies even though the firm has represented both entities in recent years, a state appeals court has ruled.

  • February 26, 2025

    Conn. Judge Tosses False Origin Claims In Atty's Firing Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge has dismissed an attorney's lawsuit against his former firm and a litigation finance group described as its biggest client, nixing false designation and false origin claims surrounding the firm's alleged use of his name to lure clients after firing him.

  • February 26, 2025

    Judge Won't Disqualify Firm In Solar Co. Fraud Fight

    A federal judge denied Michigan residents' attempt to disqualify attorneys representing a bankrupt solar company's former founding CEO in their fraud case, holding that the law firm's allegedly obstructionist discovery tactics don't amount to an actual conflict of interest.

  • February 26, 2025

    Foley & Lardner Can't End Claims It 'Strung Along' Recruiter

    A legal recruiting firm can continue to pursue its claim that Foley & Lardner LLP strung it along by implying it was considering a request to bump up the recruiter's fee for placing a high-value attorney at the Boston firm, a Massachusetts state court judge ruled on Tuesday.

  • February 26, 2025

    Investor Says Lowenstein Sandler Violated Dispensary Deal

    An investment group involved in a complex dispute between Lowenstein Sandler LLP and a cannabis dispensary has asked a New Jersey state judge to enforce a settlement order and sale order, alleging the firm has violated previous legal rulings while pursuing its claim for purportedly unpaid legal fees.

  • February 26, 2025

    Michigan Counties Say Firm's Client Solicitations Merit DQ

    Michigan counties sought to disqualify plaintiff firm Visser & Associates PLLC Tuesday, telling a federal judge that the lawyers went back on their word by soliciting potential class members in a suit claiming the government entities improperly kept a surplus of foreclosed home sales.

  • February 26, 2025

    Defunct Fla. Law Firm Can't Revive Suit Over Theft Case

    A Florida state appeals court has refused to revive defunct law firm Glary & Israel PA's malpractice suit against another firm for failing to sue a bank over theft by Glary & Israel's bookkeeper's.

  • February 26, 2025

    JPMorgan Paying For Lawyers On Both Sides Of Javice Trial

    JPMorgan Chase, the bank allegedly duped by Frank founder Charlie Javice into paying $175 million for her education startup, is paying legal fees for defense counsel as well as for lawyers representing prosecution witnesses, according to statements in court Wednesday.

  • February 26, 2025

    Texas Atty Accused Of Stealing Homeowner's Insurance Win

    A Houston attorney recently threatened with criminal charges over the filing of a document signed by a dead expert witness has been accused in a new suit of representing a homeowner without his consent and stealing his appraisal award.

  • February 26, 2025

    DA Willis Loses 'Absurd' Bid To Nix Trump Probe Subpoenas

    A Georgia state judge has denied Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis' bid to quash multiple subpoenas against her from a state Senate committee investigation into her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case, finding that her argument would set "an absurd" precedent.

  • February 26, 2025

    Texas Judge Tosses Law Firm's Claims Of Unfair Competition

    A Houston federal court has trimmed a trade secrets suit a Washington state-based immigration firm is pursuing against a Texas rival, finding two of seven claims are preempted by the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

  • February 26, 2025

    Mass. High Court Reaffirms No Private Right To Atty Discipline

    Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday reaffirmed that there is no private right of action to compel the state bar to open an investigation or disciplinary proceedings.

  • February 26, 2025

    Paralegal Wants Firm's Counterclaim In OT Suit Axed

    An El Paso, Texas, law firm's accusation that a paralegal's suit for unpaid overtime is an "attempt to extort money" should not stand, the worker told a Texas federal court, arguing the counterclaim she is facing has nothing to do with her allegations.

  • February 26, 2025

    Adams Says SDNY Memo Leaks Doom His Bribery Case

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams opened up a new line of attack against his federal corruption case Wednesday, arguing that the judge must dismiss the charges due to the "extreme prejudice" caused by leaked Justice Department memos alleging a quid pro quo between the mayor and the Trump administration.

  • February 26, 2025

    NJ RICO Case Toss Leaves AG Irate, Defense Attys Elated

    The erasure of a massive racketeering indictment against New Jersey power broker George E. Norcross III, politically connected attorneys and others on Wednesday drew a sharp rebuke from Attorney General Matt Platkin while defense attorneys gloated.

  • February 25, 2025

    Walgreens Inks $595M Deal To End COVID-19 Testing Suit

    Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has agreed to pay $595 million to a lab testing and diagnostics company to put to rest a dispute over COVID-19 tests, according to a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • February 25, 2025

    Apple Litigation Director Threatened With Sanctions At Hearing

    A California federal judge presiding over a high-stakes evidentiary hearing into whether Apple has complied with her 2021 antitrust injunction threatened to sanction Apple's commercial litigation director Tuesday, telling counsel she has "significant concerns" about Apple's over-designation of attorney-client privilege, saying, "Your client is not entitled to have you engage in unethical conduct."

  • February 25, 2025

    Trump Targets Covington Attys For Repping Special Counsel

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered the immediate suspension of security clearances held by Covington & Burling LLP attorneys who represent former special counsel Jack Smith, with the president citing the attorneys' supposed roles in the "weaponization of the judicial process."

  • February 25, 2025

    Pa. Biotech Co. Can't Escape $4M Trade Secrets Award

    A Delaware vice chancellor declined Monday to nix a nearly $4 million arbitral award issued to Finnish company UPM-Kymmene Corp. in a long-running trade secrets dispute, ruling that a link between the arbitrator and the Finnish company's counsel at DLA Piper was "at most, an attenuated connection."

  • February 25, 2025

    Judge Who Shot Wife Admits Hundreds Of Gun Law Violations

    A California judge accused of killing his wife admitted on the witness stand Tuesday to breaking the law at least hundreds of times by drinking alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon, but insisted her shooting was an accident and denied shedding crocodile tears to gain the jury's sympathy.

  • February 25, 2025

    Karen Read Attys Say Expert Bill Came 'Out Of The Blue'

    Lawyers for Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of running down her Boston police officer boyfriend three years ago, pushed back Tuesday on accusations by the prosecution that they intentionally misled a jury about their connection to two expert witnesses.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings

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    U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Lawyers Must Be Careful When Using Listservs

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    The American Bar Association's formal opinion from May correctly states that attorneys must obtain clients' consent before posing related questions to listservs, but potential risks and drawbacks of using listservs go beyond those highlighted by the ABA, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

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