In the days of yore, lawyers were generally viewed as a socially “conservative” group not likely to seek attention or say controversial or unkind things in public. Those days are, of course, long gone. Today many lawyers go out of their way to say things that are intended to draw attention and address controversial topics.
You just figured out that the materials you got from opposing counsel include documents that may have been inadvertently included. What should you do? Model Rule 4.4(b) provides a clear answer—promptly notify the sender. But what happens when you receive, through non-party discovery, a DropBox link that supplies you with live access to opposing party’s
Maybe you were lucky and opposing counsel was able to delete the inadvertent email you sent her before she read what would have inevitably blown your whole case. But what about for those lawyers who were not so fortunate? Did you commit malpractice? Do you anticipate hearing from disciplinary counsel? Certain mistakes can be damaging
2021 was a whirlwind! Lawyers have had to be more flexible and resourceful than ever. It is the year that the ups and downs of the pandemic made it abundantly clear that this is more of a marathon than a sprint. While resilience can be invigorating, the challenges are ongoing. The stress of keeping up
A Florida lawyer violated the ethics rules by texting his witness during a deposition, the Florida Supreme Court recently held. The court imposed an even stiffer penalty than recommended.
Just the facts, ma’am
In January 2020, the Florida Bar filed its Complaint against the lawyer for conduct during a telephone deposition in a worker’s
Can violating a legal ethics rule qualify as an unfair trade practice under a state’s consumer protection statute? A Florida district court recently said “Yes.” The question arose in motion practice over the admissibility of expert testimony in a timeshare-exit case.
And then there was one
A group of entities connected to Wyndham Vacation Resorts
“Pervasive incivility” was part of a package of wrongdoing that resulted in disbarment for a D.C.-area lawyer last month. The case sheds light on the potential, and very real, downsides when lawyers depart from professional conduct ideals.
Client authority lacking
The lawyer was admitted in Maryland and D.C., as well as Virginia, and his troubles
A ruling handed down last month by the South Carolina Supreme Court provides object lessons on several aspects of the lawyer discipline system and how to stay out of trouble. In its order and opinion, the court publicly reprimanded a lawyer who pursued a probate case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court,
An Oklahoma lawyer was suspended last month for two years based on misconduct involving an unlawful response to a bad on-line review of the lawyer’s services. The disciplinary case is a lesson in being careful about who you’re dealing with when you hire a consultant, and also about not doubling down when confronted with a
The plaintiff’s lawyer in a slip-and-fall case got a pandemic-based pass from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals last week, avoiding sanctions that the defendant requested after the lawyer misstated the record. The lawyer had based the plaintiff’s appeal argument on an unsigned interrogatory answer that appeared only in a draft.
But the court in