Ethics

Lawyer accused of stealing over $31K from jailed woman after she signed power of attorney at his request

A lawyer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, has been accused of stealing more than $31,000 from an imprisoned woman awaiting a competency hearing after she agreed to sign an agreement giving power of attorney to his employee.

Nov 13, 2024 9:51 AM CST

Appeals judge told state attorney how to handle resentencing while badmouthing others, texts indicate

A Florida appeals judge who obtained a 2004 murder conviction of an alleged gang leader texted advice to the Miami-Dade, Florida, state attorney handling his resentencing while “denigrating defense attorneys and badmouthing local judges,” according to the Miami Herald.

Nov 12, 2024 11:34 AM CST

Lawyer suspended after arguing cocaine enhanced his cognition

A former public defender accused of representing a client at a November 2022 preliminary hearing while under the influence of cocaine has received a suspension of a year and a day.

Nov 7, 2024 11:55 AM CST

Once-liberal lawyer said to be ‘brains’ behind 2020 election-interference scheme suspended from practice

A New York appeals court has ordered the interim suspension of lawyer Kenneth Chesebro following his guilty plea in Georgia’s 2020 election-interference case.

Nov 6, 2024 8:26 AM CST

‘Watchdogs’ author has no regrets about choosing civil service over the NBA

Glenn Fine’s career-long crusade against corruption might have its roots in his college days as a point guard for the Harvard basketball team. He played his personal best against Boston College—in a game that he later discovered had been fixed by the mob.

Nov 6, 2024 8:11 AM CST

Courtroom ‘is not a theater’ for unsubstantiated election claims, says letter signed by 125 bar leaders

All lawsuits—including election-related actions—must be “grounded in fact, supported by law and free from improper motives,” according to an open letter signed by 125 past and current bar leaders when it was published Monday evening.

Nov 5, 2024 12:42 PM CST

Lawyer’s mistaken Zelle transfer leads to ethics complaint

An Ohio lawyer mistakenly sent $550 via money transfer app Zelle to an Illinois resident, peppered him with emails and texts while a bank fraud department investigated, and then sued him after the money was returned, according to an ethics complaint by the Dayton Bar Association.

Nov 5, 2024 9:30 AM CST

BigLaw firm sanctioned for ‘flagrant violations of a protective order’

Latham & Watkins and its client must pay an attorney-fee sanction for “flagrant violations of a protective order,” according to a federal judge in California.

Nov 4, 2024 2:36 PM CST

Sanction against Northwestern law prof affirmed by 10th Circuit

A federal appeals court has affirmed a $5,000 sanction against a professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law for seeking to remove a state court motion to federal court, finding no abuse of discretion by a federal judge who imposed it.

Oct 31, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

Kirkland partner can’t present argument or evidence because he ‘crossed the lines’ of court orders, judge says

A Missouri judge has sanctioned a Kirkland & Ellis partner after finding the lawyer “acted in bad faith on several occasions” and tried to inflame the jury during a civil trial targeting the makers of baby formula.

Oct 31, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Judge is accused of using racial slur, vulgar terms and ‘libtard’ label for employee offended by his comments

An Ohio judge is facing an ethics complaint alleging that he created an inappropriate office environment, used a racial slur within earshot of a defendant, and referred to a child-rape case in “lewd and vulgar” terms.

Oct 30, 2024 11:42 AM CDT

4th Circuit upholds $1M sanction for law firm that tried to ‘sabotage’ federal court’s authority

Updated: A federal judge had inherent power to impose a $1.05 million sanction against a national law firm for asking state courts to order an end to U.S. district court litigation, a federal appeals court ruled last week.

Oct 29, 2024 3:50 PM CDT

Judge who allowed secretary to work remotely didn’t violate ethics rules, state supreme court says

The New Jersey Supreme Court has tossed a pending ethics complaint against a judge who sometimes allowed his secretary to work remotely in violation of office policy.

Oct 29, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Generative AI brings new insights to litigation analytics tools

Updated: With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, many traditional software categories have been reinvented. Legal software has not been immune from this impactful change. Over the past few years, AI has been increasingly embedded into tools that support legal workflows, and the result has been improved functionality that increases the overall intuitiveness and value of legal software.

Oct 28, 2024 9:03 AM CDT

Judge accused of ‘casual and illegal use’ of contempt power; crime victim cuffed

A Florida judge has been accused of conducting “improper or legally deficient” contempt proceedings in which she ordered the handcuffing of a crime victim and the jailing of the mother of traumatized, truant children.

Oct 23, 2024 10:45 AM CDT