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Indicted Pa. Judge Suspended From Bench Over Alleged Fraud
The York County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas judge who was accused of 31 counts of fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice related to his allegedly misusing unemployment relief funds to pay his law firm's employees during the COVID-19 pandemic has been suspended from the bench.
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Combs Accuses DHS Of Leaking Grand Jury Info To Press
Government agents investigating charges of sex trafficking against Sean "Diddy" Combs have engaged in a scheme to undermine his right to a fair trial, the hip-hop mogul told a Manhattan federal judge late Wednesday, saying U.S. Department of Homeland Security personnel have been leaking grand jury information to journalists.
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Robbins Geller Atty, Fed. Prosecutors Tapped For Calif. Bench
A Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP partner, former Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP partner, former Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP associate and federal prosecutors were among California Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest picks for judgeships, according to an announcement made Wednesday.
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Justices Fear Harm To Atty Reputations In Death Penalty Case
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed concern during oral arguments this month about the reputational harm two former Oklahoma prosecutors were facing in light of the state's claim that they withheld evidence and presented false testimony to secure the conviction of a prisoner on death row — allegations over which the justices seem likely to order further proceedings.
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Another Supreme Court Term, Another Call For Ethics Reform
The new term for the U.S. Supreme Court began on Monday under a cloud of alleged ethics improprieties by several justices.
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Girardi Seeks New Fraud Trial Over Memory Issues
Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi has called on a California federal court to overturn his conviction for misappropriating $15 million in client settlement funds, arguing he was not competent to stand trial due to memory problems that left him unable to remember witnesses or even his own attorneys.
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Disbarred Atty Admits To Defrauding Investors, DOJ Says
A disbarred attorney has pled guilty in connection with a financial services scheme that defrauded investors out of more than $1 million, New Jersey's U.S. attorney announced Wednesday.
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Disbarred Calif. Atty To Pay $14M Over Crypto Ponzi Scheme
A disbarred California attorney has been ordered by a Nevada federal judge to pay nearly $14 million in restitution for his role in promoting a $9.5 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.
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Lame-Duck Judiciary Confirmations? Wait And See
Democrats have been signaling that they want to surpass former President Donald Trump's record on judicial confirmations, but President Joe Biden's prospects for the post-election period are likely going to be contingent on the election results, according to an analysis published Wednesday.
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9th Circ. Rejects Judicial Ethics Complaint Over Case Delays
The Ninth Circuit has tossed an attorney's ethics complaint against a federal district judge accused of failing to promptly rule on a motion to dismiss as part of an alleged pattern of slow rulings by the court.
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Feds Seek 16 Months For Ex-BigLaw Partner's Tax Dodging
Prosecutors told a Wisconsin federal judge that a former Husch Blackwell LLP and Dykema Gossett PLLC partner who pled guilty to tax evasion should be sentenced to 16 months in prison, saying he lied to IRS revenue officers to keep them at bay while spending lavishly on private planes, jewelry and golf club memberships.
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'Ghost' Florida Atty Left Long Trail Of Irked Judges, Clients
A Florida lawyer accused in a state court suit of ignoring and defrauding dozens of clients who paid nonrefundable retainers has faced a series of similar allegations in federal court, drawing the ire of judges and opposing counsel.
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Paul Hastings Adds Former Asst. US Solicitor General
Global firm Paul Hastings LLP announced Wednesday that a former assistant to the U.S. solicitor general is joining the firm to strengthen its appellate and Supreme Court practice.
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Judge Puts US Trustee's Depo On Ice In Judge Romance Suit
A Houston judge Tuesday put Jackson Walker's deposition of the U.S. Trustee for the Texas divisions of the bankruptcy watchdog on hold while he considers whether a Justice Department guideline applies to the ongoing dispute surrounding a former Texas bankruptcy judge's secret relationship with an ex-partner of the firm.
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Ex-Girardi Keese CFO Inks Plea Deal Over Firm Embezzlement
Girardi Keese's former Chief Financial Officer Christopher K. Kamon reached a plea agreement Tuesday with Los Angeles federal prosecutors, who allege he spearheaded a "side fraud" that bilked millions of dollars from the embattled law firm's accounts behind disbarred attorney Tom Girardi's back.
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Ex-Uber Exec's Actions Smell Like Cover-Up, 9th Circ. Judge Says
A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of Uber's ex-security chief's effort to overturn his convictions for obstructing an investigation into an Uber data breach, with one judge saying the defendant's abrupt changes to Uber's policies "does smell to me like a cover-up."
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Dem Rep. Reintroduces Death Row Appeal Bill
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has announced that he is reintroducing a bill that would ensure inmates on death row would have the opportunity to present new evidence pointing to their innocence.
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Jackson, Kagan Target Loper Bright In Ghost Gun Case
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet during initial arguments Tuesday over the federal government's authority to regulate ghost guns. While her colleagues debated whether kits of unassembled parts qualify as firearms, she waited patiently to post a different question: Can courts now toss agency interpretations they don't like?
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Justices Cast Favorable Eye On ATF's Ghost Gun Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to side with the federal government's position that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule regulating so-called ghost gun kits was wrongly invalidated by a lower appeals court, with several justices responding favorably to the feds' arguments.
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Ex-Judge Can Testify In Suit Against Blank Rome Attys, 2 Cos.
An attorney suing three Blank Rome LLP lawyers, an aircraft motor manufacturer and its parent company was unable to persuade a Pennsylvania federal court to stop a former judge from testifying for the defense as an expert witness in a retaliation case stemming from her decision to switch from representing companies to doing plaintiffs work.
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Convicted Fla. Atty Suspended Over Theft In Court Clerk Post
The Florida Supreme Court has suspended the law license of the onetime clerk of courts for Jefferson County after he was convicted of grand theft and sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
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Justices Divided Over 'Prevailing Party' Status For Atty Fees
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared noncommital on Tuesday while grappling with what constitutes a "prevailing party" for the purpose of awarding attorney fees in civil rights lawsuits, a question that has broad implications for both government agencies and legal advocacy groups.
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Pa. Judge Misused COVID Funds To Pay Firm Staff, Feds Say
A York County Common Pleas judge faces more than 30 federal counts, including fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, over allegations of using federal unemployment benefits to pay staff members of his law office while they remained employed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Judge Security Data Reflects Policy Shifts As Much As Threats
Former employees of the U.S. Marshals Service say that while judicial security has never been more urgent, finding trends is nearly impossible: The way threats against federal judges are tracked has varied so much from year to year, the data is essentially meaningless.
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NJ Judge Suspended For 'Admittedly Vulgar' TikTok Videos
The New Jersey Supreme Court has suspended a state Superior Court judge for three months for posting "admittedly vulgar" TikTok videos of himself lip-syncing songs with sexual content in his chambers and sometimes in his robes.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Firms Coach Associates Remotely?.jpg)
Practicing law through virtual platforms will likely persist even after the pandemic, so law firms and senior lawyers should consider refurbishing their associate mentoring programs to facilitate personal connections, professionalism and effective training in a remote environment, says Carol Goodman at Herrick Feinstein.
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How Law Firms Can Welcome And Celebrate Autistic Lawyers
As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.
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Law Firm Tips For Evaluating AI And Machine Learning Tools
Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.
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A Call For Personal Accountability On Diversity And Inclusion
While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.
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Learning How To Code Can Unleash New Potential In Lawyers
Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll
As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.
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Series
Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice?.jpg)
Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.
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The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation
As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.
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The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms
In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.
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The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey
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Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.
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Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors
Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.
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Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload?.jpg)
Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.
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A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms
Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.
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Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments?.jpg)
In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging.
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Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap
In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.