Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Legal Ethics

  • June 10, 2025

    Clerk's Role Means Antitrust Judge Must Recuse, Court Told

    Pork producer defendants involved in a major pork price-fixing case continue to push for the recusal of a Minnesota federal judge because of his clerk's connections to plaintiff-side firms, arguing the plaintiffs are running from "indisputable facts."

  • June 10, 2025

    Fla. Atty Faces NY, Conn. Discipline For Client Theft Charges

    A Florida attorney who was disbarred in the Sunshine State last year and later charged with wire fraud and money laundering amid his handling of an estate matter has been disbarred in New York and now faces reciprocal discipline in Connecticut.

  • June 10, 2025

    Ex-GC Accused Of Stealing IP Amid Ownership Stake Dispute

    E-commerce company Storehouse In A Box sued its former general counsel and chief operating officer in Michigan federal court Monday, alleging he misappropriated trade secrets and confidential information, while also engaging in outside ventures that conflicted with his duties, after a dispute arose over his ownership claim in the business.

  • June 10, 2025

    Judge Warns Attys Over Candor In Grubhub-Kroger TM Row

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday admonished defense counsel in ongoing trademark litigation between Grubhub Inc. and The Kroger Co. after finding discrepancies in the Kroger attorney's representations of information Grubhub provided in a discovery response, reminding all lawyers involved of their duty of candor and adherence to professional conduct rules.

  • June 10, 2025

    Ex-Conn. Attorney Sues AG Bondi To Restore Gun Rights

    A Connecticut attorney who served prison time for a tax offense has sued federal and state officials to demand the restoration of his right to possess firearms and ammunition, arguing that the prohibition on that right is unconstitutional as applied to him.

  • June 10, 2025

    Wis. Judge Can't Wield Immunity For Obstructing ICE, DOJ Says

    The U.S. Department of Justice has urged a Wisconsin federal judge to reject a state court judge's argument that judicial immunity blocks her prosecution for allegedly obstructing an ICE arrest at a Milwaukee courthouse, saying that while judges may be immune from civil liability for official acts, they are not shielded from prosecution for supposedly criminal conduct.

  • June 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms Dechert's Victory Over Hacking Suit

    The Second Circuit on Monday refused to revive a North Carolina trade executive's lawsuit alleging hacking by a private investigator on Dechert LLP's behalf, ruling in a nonprecedential opinion that a district judge's failure to review disputed portions of a magistrate judge's recommendation to dismiss the suit was ultimately harmless.

  • June 09, 2025

    COVID Funds Bribery Scheme Gets Ex-Calif. Official 5 Years

    A former member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors was sentenced to five years in prison Monday in California federal court after admitting to steering $10 million worth of COVID-19 relief funds to a nonprofit linked to his daughter, in return for more than $500,000 in bribes. 

  • June 09, 2025

    Judge Denies Obstructing ICE As Disciplinary Hearing Begins

    An attorney for a Massachusetts state judge, who was accused of plotting to let a man wanted by immigration agents escape out of a back door of a courthouse in 2018, said at the start of a disciplinary inquiry Monday that the judge did not know about the plan, pointing the finger at the wanted man's lawyer.

  • June 09, 2025

    'No Question' DuPont Polluted Delaware River, NJ Court Told

    New Jersey told a federal judge on Monday that it was clear E.I. du Pont de Nemours discharged "forever chemicals" into the Delaware River, wrapping up the majority of a first-of-its-kind series of bench trials over whether the company is liable for contamination at a longstanding manufacturing facility.

  • June 09, 2025

    Madigan Denied Acquittal, New Trial Ahead Of Sentencing

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday denied former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's bid for acquittal or a new trial, clearing the way for him to be sentenced for bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy later this week.

  • June 09, 2025

    FEMA Dodges Atty's Bias And Retaliation Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge dismissed an attorney's lawsuit alleging two federal agencies fired her after she complained that a male colleague harassed her, saying the excessive length and repetitiveness of her claims makes an adequate response a "practical impossibility." 

  • June 09, 2025

    Ga. Judge Argues Ethics Charges Are 'Irreparably Tainted'

    An Atlanta trial judge urged a hearing panel to throw out the ethics charges leveled against her despite the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission's arguments that her motion to quash was untimely.

  • June 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Nixes Doc's Power Of Atty Deal In Patient ERISA Suit

    The Second Circuit ruled Monday that a doctor couldn't use a power-of-attorney arrangement to sue on behalf of a patient who said their union's health plan illegally stuck them with a $150,000 medical bill, but directed a trial court to determine if the patient can pursue the case.

  • June 09, 2025

    NJ Bar Pushes To Keep Limit On Nonclient Malpractice Claims

    The New Jersey State Bar Association is asking that state's Supreme Court not to expand plaintiffs' ability to sue attorneys for malpractice when they weren't those lawyers' clients, according to a Monday announcement.

  • June 09, 2025

    5th Amendment Can't Shield Ex-Exec, Drugmakers Argue

    Generic-drug makers urged Connecticut and Pennsylvania courts to compel a former executive to sit for a deposition in ongoing price-fixing litigation despite his invocation of the Fifth Amendment, arguing his testimony is crucial to their defense.

  • June 09, 2025

    Fitch Even's Ex-IP Client Wants Firm's Patent Suit Tossed

    Prenatal-Hope Inc. and its chief executive officer are asking an Illinois federal judge to dismiss a suit in which law firm Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP seeks a declaration that the CEO isn't the inventor behind a prenatal test patent.

  • June 09, 2025

    Alibaba Wants Patent Suit Axed Over Atty's 'Extreme' Conduct

    Cloud products and services company Alibaba Cloud US LLC has moved to dismiss a patent suit against it by Cooperative Entertainment Inc. as a sanction for "extreme" conduct by its attorney, which continued after he was referred to a disciplinary committee.

  • June 09, 2025

    Boies Schiller Faces DQ Bid In Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Firms' Battle In Florida

    Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and its attorney Sashi C. Bach are facing a disqualification bid in a Florida state court case between pharmaceutical mass tort firms and their former counsel, with the suing firms arguing that Boies Schiller cannot represent its co-defendants because of a conflict.

  • June 09, 2025

    Pro Bono Civil Counsel Not A Guarantee, 7th Circ. Rules

    In a precedential ruling, the Seventh Circuit has found that a federal court in Peoria, Illinois, did not err when it ended the search for a pro bono attorney to represent a prisoner in a civil rights suit over medical care provided behind bars because it could not find willing counsel.

  • June 09, 2025

    Pa. Firm, Insurer End Suit Over Legal Malpractice Coverage

    A Philadelphia law firm has dropped its bad faith lawsuit against an insurer stemming from a dispute over coverage for a legal malpractice case that ended in a $600,000 judgment against the estate of one of the attorneys, according to a recent filing.

  • June 09, 2025

    Feds Can Sell Russian Oligarch's Seized $230M Superyacht

    A New York federal judge has determined the government can proceed with an auction of a superyacht that once belonged to a sanctioned Russian billionaire, rejecting an argument that a potential sale would undercut the vessel's full value.

  • June 09, 2025

    Fla. Bar Rejects Ethics Probe Of Bondi While She's In Office

    The Florida Bar has told a group of lawyers, law professors and former judges that it will not open an ethics investigation into Pam Bondi's actions as attorney general, saying in a letter that it doesn't "investigate or prosecute sitting officers appointed under the U.S. Constitution while they are in office."

  • June 09, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Says Counsel Shake-Up Erases Conviction

    Former Sen. Robert Menendez's wife, Nadine Menendez, has asked a Manhattan federal judge to vacate the jury's guilty verdict in her bribery case, arguing that her Sixth Amendment rights were violated when she was denied her choice of legal representation.

  • June 06, 2025

    Willkie Atty's Ex-Landlord Says NY Post Leak Wasn't His Idea

    A Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner's onetime landlord asked for a pretrial victory in a federal feud with his former tenants, telling a Connecticut court Friday he did not participate in his ex-attorney's leak of unflattering allegations about A. Mark Getachew and his wife to the New York Post.

Expert Analysis

  • Atty Insurance Implications Of Rising Nonclient Cyber Claims

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    As law firms are increasingly targeted in cyberattacks, claims by clients as well as nonclients against lawyers are also on the rise, increasing the scope of exposure that attorneys face in their practice, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • Why Attys Should Get Familiar With Quantum Computing

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    Quantum computing is projected to pose significant updates to current practices in cryptography, making the issue relevant to policymakers and the legal profession generally, particularly when it comes to data storage, privacy regulations and pharmaceutical industry market changes, say professors at the University of San Francisco.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Âé¶¹´«Ã½

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Âé¶¹´«Ã½yer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

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    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • Series

    Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Âé¶¹´«Ã½yer

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    While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Âé¶¹´«Ã½ School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Âé¶¹´«Ã½ school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Âé¶¹´«Ã½yer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoÂé¶¹´«Ã½Group.

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