#legal-ethics

#legal-ethics

From a hearty handshake and Trump telling him, 'Thank you, won't forget it' last year to getting bypassed in the handshake line at this year's State of the Union, it's been a long strange trip for Roberts. And yet he wouldn't have it any other way because for Roberts, ritualistic humiliation is a small price to pay for dismantling the Voting Rights Act.

* Biglaw lawyers are charging $3400/hour and clients are paying. Because no matter how much they gnash their teeth, they always do. [ WSJ] * Remember the episode of JAG where the military lawyer paradropped into a Minnesota habeas mess and instantly got held in contempt for failing to comply with court orders? No? Well, it's real life now. [ Fox 9] * The Artist Formerly Known as Prince... Andrew arrested in connection with Epstein investigation. Meanwhile, our [ CNN]

Boston University School of Law is preparing to launch an AI certificate program in fall 2026 as part of a broader initiative aimed at training future lawyers in the ethical and effective use of AI technologies. The initiative reflects a growing recognition within legal education that AI is becoming deeply embedded in legal research, writing, and practice. Law school administrators say the program is designed not only to familiarize students with emerging tools, but also to address the ethical and professional challenges that accompany them.

A mass tort lawyer fired by a Philadelphia law firm has been suspended from practicing law for three years after misleading clients about their cases, according to a story by Legal Newsline. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court imposed the punishment Friday against lawyer Brian McCormick Jr., who represented clients who had sued over the weedkiller Roundup and the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, according to Legal Newsline. The suspension goes into effect Feb. 22.

The California State Bar has opened an investigation into a prominent Los Angeles law firm that represents thousands of sex abuse victims in a record $4 billion settlement, according to court filings made public Wednesday. The investigation into Downtown LA Law Group, which is also the subject of a criminal probe into allegations plaintiffs were paid to sue, was detailed in a Jan. 20 court motion filed by attorneys for L.A. County.

Introduced by California Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg, a Democratic state senator from Santa Ana, California, the new bill codifies many guidelines for the use of AI in the practice of law that were published by the State Bar of California's Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct in 2023, according to Law.com. Among its provisions, it requires attorneys to remove confidential personal identifying information from AI systems and to verify the accuracy of AI-produced material.

Labour has criticised Conservative shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson for acting as a lawyer for sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Justice Minister Jack Richards said it was "indefensible" for him to retain his position on the Tory frontbench while also representing Mr Abramovich, arguing it risked a conflict of interest. The Conservatives said the comments were "pure politics" and a "baseless smear", adding that "barristers act for clients, not causes".

Once upon a time, Marc Kasowitz and Eric Herschmann were partners at Kasowitz's eponymous firm. Now Herschmann is suing Kasowitz seeking "millions" in unpaid compensation and alleging a pattern of financial mismanagement. Then Donald Trump decided to enter politics and everything fell apart as these two decided to hitch their wagons to his sundowning star. Back in 2017, Trump sauntered into office convinced that his longtime real estate litigator could serve as his White House consigliere. It did not go well.

Singa Bui's licence to practise law was revoked following a three-hour-long hearing in which the Law Society of Ontario presented more than 2,000 pages of evidence, which she did not contest, that Bui repeatedly dipped into her firm's trust account to steal millions of dollars of client money and even forged bank records in a way that hid the theft.

Should lawyers take a civility oath to cut down on bad behavior? Please stop laughing. [ Reuters] Republicans launch bid to end dual citizenship. [ Newsweek] Taking the temperature of London Biglaw associates. Unlike all most temperatures from London, this doesn't require a calculator to convert into something comprehensible. [ Law.com International] Harvey raises more money. [ NY Times] Another CEO scammer pardoned by the pro-CEO scammer administration. [ Law360]

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan appointed me as a federal judge. I was 38 years old. At the time, I looked forward to serving for the rest of my life. However, I resigned Friday, relinquishing that lifetime appointment and giving up the opportunity for public service that I have loved. My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom.

To my mind, information that a person discloses in a publicly available manner is fair game for lawyers preparing for voir dire,

Today, I'm talking with Sean Fitzpatrick, the CEO of LexisNexis, one of the most important companies in the entire legal system. For years - including when I was in law school - LexisNexis was basically the library. It's where you went to look up case law, do legal research, and find the laws and precedents you would need to be an effective lawyer for your clients.

* Federal lawyers admit they falsely stated the number of agents sent to Portland - a key claim in the government's claim that protests met the statutory threshold for deploying troops. You see, they told the court that conditions required 115 agents when the most they ever had was 31. Oops! [ Oregon Live] * Anthropic settlement puts four Supreme Court justices in line for checks. [ Bloomberg Law News]

One day in the future, I hope they gather all the lawyers employed by the two Trump administrations and administer that Scientology test where you hold the two metal things while someone sizes you up for a donation. This is because administering a bar exam to the endless parade of fools and dolts marching out of the Department of Justice in order to do battle with the Constitution, the rule of law, English syntax, and common sense would be like teaching opera to a goat.