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Legal Ethics
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September 23, 2025
No Early Out For NY Firm In Insurer's Malpractice Coverage Suit
A New York-based law firm cannot throw out an insurance company's lawsuit seeking to be let off the hook from covering the firm against a malpractice claim, a Philadelphia federal judge has found, determining that factual questions in the case meant early dismissal was not an option.
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September 23, 2025
Atty-Trustee Conflicts Doom Scaife Estate's $26M Tax Refund
A Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky attorney was also acting as Mellon heir Richard Scaife's lawyer, trustee and media executive when he signed releases that kept Scaife's spending of his inheritance secret from his children, so a resulting $200 million settlement between the children and Scaife's estate was not a bona fide tax-exempt expense, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Tuesday.
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September 23, 2025
Conn. Atty Denies Blame For Title Co.'s $920K Refinancing Loss
A Connecticut lawyer sought to fend off arguments in state court by Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. that his alleged mistakes on a $2.5 million refinancing led to a $920,000 loss for the insurer, claiming he and the company owed distinct duties to a policy-holder.
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September 23, 2025
Law Firms Sued Over La. Hurricane Claim Fee Scheme
Two law firms and certain attorneys engaged in a scheme to "grossly and blatantly" inflate damages estimates for hurricane-related property insurance claims in order to "collect an exorbitant fee which they would all share," a group of seven Louisiana residents told a Louisiana federal court.
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September 23, 2025
Former NJ Workers' Comp Judge's Firing Suit Trimmed
New Jersey has been granted partial summary judgment in its defense of a suit from a former workers' compensation judge who alleges that she was unconstitutionally removed from her job, with a state judge tossing her due process claims but letting certain discrimination claims proceed.Â
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September 23, 2025
Ga. Atty Can't Block State Bar's Revived Bid To Toss Bias Suit
A Georgia federal court has rejected an attorney's bid to stop the state bar's request to expand its motion to dismiss her racial discrimination lawsuit to include information about her disciplinary proceedings being resolved with no discipline.
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September 23, 2025
NJ Justices Won't Hear Challenge To State Bar Diversity Plan
The New Jersey Supreme Court has allowed to stand an appellate decision approving a New Jersey State Bar Association system for fostering diversity in its leadership, which a state attorney accused of being a discriminatory quota system.
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September 23, 2025
Fla. Judge Denies NY Atty's Early Exit From Malpractice Suit
A Miami federal judge has denied a New York lawyer an early win in a malpractice case stemming from advice she gave a client in an underlying SEC action, finding "reasonable minds" may disagree on whether the lawyer's actions breached the duty of care.
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September 22, 2025
Trump Appoints 'Loyal' Aide Following Va. US Atty's Exit
One of President Donald Trump's White House aides and former personal attorneys Monday was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a day after the resignation of the office's previous Senate-approved top prosecutor, who had declined to bring charges against two of the president's foes.
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September 22, 2025
Baker McKenzie Says Atty Is 'Trolling' Firm With Assault Claims
A former Baker McKenzie tax associate who has flooded social media with allegations that she was sexually assaulted by the leader of the international law firm's D.C. office is now facing a defamation lawsuit accusing her of "trolling" the firm with false claims.
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September 22, 2025
Newman Urges Full DC Circ. To Let Judges Sue Their Courts
U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman has invoked a D.C. Circuit panel's "implicit invitation" for the full court to reconsider precedent limiting the rights of disciplined judges, as she continues to fight her suspension.
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September 22, 2025
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, Match.com secured approval for a $30M settlement over its 2019 reverse spinoff from IAC, and Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn urged decorum among Delaware lawyers, comparing recent legal turmoil to dark times in British monarchy history. Here's the latest from the Chancery Court.
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September 22, 2025
Calif. County Defender To Pay $200K In Harassment Probe
A California public defender's office has agreed to pay $200,000 to an employee to resolve the worker's claims that a superior sexually harassed them on the job through inappropriate comments and unwanted touching, the state's Civil Rights Department announced Monday.
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September 22, 2025
Conn. Board Seeks To Cement Win Over Tax Atty's Firing
The Connecticut Employees' Review Board has asked an appellate court not to rehear a fired tax attorney's unsuccessful appeal en banc, arguing that she has failed to show any fatal flaws in a three-judge panel's decision against her.
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September 22, 2025
Girardi Loses Bid To Avoid Prison During Appeal
Disgraced attorney Tom Girardi will have to wait in prison while he appeals his wire fraud conviction for stealing from his own clients, a California federal judge has ruled.
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September 22, 2025
Crime-Fraud Exemption Applies To Eletson Docs, Judge Says
Reed Smith LLP has until the end of the day on Monday to turn over a dozen client files related to its prior representation of shipping company Eletson Holdings amid a dispute with rival Levona, after a Manhattan federal judge found probable cause that a fraud was committed in an underlying arbitration.
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September 22, 2025
Social Media Co. Calls For Disqualification Of Influencer's Atty
A social media optimization company has moved to disqualify a social media influencer's attorney from a copyright infringement suit in Texas federal court, saying attorneys from the same firm had previously met with the company in meetings where confidential information was discussed.
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September 22, 2025
Law Firms Spar Over Affidavit In Cannabis Malpractice Fight
Trif & Modugno LLC faced repeated questioning at a Monday hearing in New Jersey state court over its argument that Lowenstein Sandler LLP's claims against the firm must be dismissed because Lowenstein Sandler never filed an affidavit of merit in a suit over the collapse of a cannabis dispensary.
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September 22, 2025
3rd Circ. Slams Attys For Debt Disputes Designed To Fail
Pittsburgh law firm J.P. Ward & Associates sent rambling, handwritten debt dispute letters in its clients' names that were intended to fail so the attorneys could sue collectors for not recognizing the dispute, a Third Circuit panel said Monday in upholding sanctions against the firm in a pair of lawsuits.
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September 22, 2025
Floridians Defend Moore & Van Allen Malpractice Claims
A proposed class of Floridians accusing Moore & Van Allen PLLC of mishandling their employee stock ownership trust have told a federal court that a change in venue is unwarranted, and that despite the law firm's claims to the contrary, they have personal standing to sue on behalf of the trust.
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September 22, 2025
Pa. Court Backs Toss Of Malpractice Suit Against NY Atty
A Pennsylvania appellate court won't revive a paint removal chemical company's malpractice suit against an intellectual property attorney it had hired to review one of its products, saying there weren't enough ties to the commonwealth for the case to proceed there.
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September 19, 2025
Va. US Atty Quits Amid Trump's 'Blue-Slip' Removal Bid
Erik Siebert on Friday resigned as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, just hours after President Donald Trump pondered ousting him from the position because Siebert received blue-slip approval from the commonwealth's two Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, according to media reports.
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September 19, 2025
Nevada Trust Accuses Texas Firms Of $9M Crypto Scheme
A Nevada-based trustee accused a Texas law firm and various other companies and residents of the Lone Star State, Wyoming and Florida of carrying out an "audacious, multi-layered scheme" to steal $9 million meant to be used for Bitcoin trades.
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September 19, 2025
NC Atty Charged With Embezzlement, Elder Fund Exploitation
A North Carolina attorney is facing 14 charges of embezzlement related to funds he allegedly rerouted to personal accounts that belonged to both his former law firm Walker Kiger PLLC and former clients.
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September 19, 2025
Estate Filed Dupe Suit Against McCarter & English, Court Told
McCarter & English LLP on Friday urged a Connecticut state judge to toss a lawsuit accusing it of mismanaging a $4.6 million estate, arguing it's essentially a duplicate of a pending lawsuit.
Expert Analysis
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Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks
A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Series
Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.
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Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content
Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.
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Series
Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.
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When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records
Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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Opinion
Why States Should Adopt ABA's 'Duty To Inquire'
State bars should codify the American Bar Association's proposed rule on a lawyer's duty to scrutinize each representation as it provides guardrails for lawyers, supports self-regulation of the profession, and helps avert money laundering and other crimes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.
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Series
Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Series
Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers
In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron.Â
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata
Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.