#legal-ethics

#legal-ethics

On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard argument in two cases about when the president can target private attorneys. The cases stemmed from President Donald Trump's executive orders last year singling out specific law firms and lawyers that the president claimed posed a national security risk. But the arguments revealed how Trump's actions were nothing more than retaliation and censorship for anyone who dares to represent Democrats in court or challenge the administration's policies.

Prosecutors wrote that the recordings show he was 'fully entangled' in the conduct under investigation. In more than a dozen recordings, the defendant is captured discussing Mr. Corozzo's knowledge of the defendant's criminal schemes, namely the illegal gambling and loansharking operations, and discussing Mr. Corozzo's status as an inducted member of the Gambino crime family.

The proposal is the North Carolina GOP's latest attack on the state bar, a government agency that regulates lawyers. If this proposal becomes law, the same Republicans who have targeted Democratic justices with bogus ethics charges will control the committee that decides when lawyers violate ethics rules.

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.