Legal Ethics Forum

This blawg discusses recent court decisions and news stories related to legal ethics issues—lawyer advertising, attorney-client privilege, multijurisdictional practice—and follows news stories of allegations and trials related to lawyer or judicial misconduct.

Author: Law professor contributors: John S. Dzienkowski, University of Texas; Brad Wendel, Cornell University; John Steele, a lecturer at Santa Clara University; Andrew Perlman, Suffolk University; David McGowan, University of San Diego; Laura Appleman, Willamette College of Law, who also contributes to The Faculty Lounge; Steve Lubet, Northwestern University; Anita Bernstein, Brooklyn Law School; Don Burnett, University of Idaho Law School; Steve Berenson, Thomas Jefferson School of Law; Monroe H. Freedman, Hofstra University Law School; Sarah Cravens of the University of Akron; Robert Vischer of St. Thomas School of Law in St. Paul, Minn., who also contributes to Mirror of Justice and The Religiously Affiliated Law Schools; Alice Wooley of the University of Calgary; and David Hricik of Mercer University, who also edits Statutory Construction Blog and contributes to Legalethics.com.

Recent Posts from Legal Ethics Forum

NY news that you'd expect to hear coming out of Baltimore or Chicago
According to Point of Law, "The ethics counsel to the New York state senate told senators to hand-deliver ethics filings, rather than mailing them, to avoid coverage under the federal mail fraud statute." (Hmm, what's…
ABA's "Ethics 20/20 Commission" announces Preliminary Issues Outline, seeks feedback.
Outline here. Commission website here. Get your comments in by December 31, 2009. The three top-level issues in the preliminary list are: Issues that arise because US lawyers are regulated by [US] states but work…
Update on file filching deputy: Judge gives deputy a chance to apologize, avoid jail
The court's order is here. But, according to this story, no apology may be forthcoming.
Conflicts of interest within DOJ for lawyers who formerly represented detainees?ainees now in DOJ?
This op-ed asks whether there are conflicts of interest within the DOJ for lawyers who formerly worked for detainees. Reading between the lines, it appears that recusals within the DOJ have been made on a…
Ron Rotunda: "The Judicial Transparency, Judicial Ethics, and A Judicial Solution: An Inspector General for The Courts"
Interesting idea; article here. Abstract:Many federal judges routinely fear criticism, but that fear is unwarranted. The public is rightly concerned that the procedure to investigate and discipline problem-judges is flawed, particularly in a few high-profile…
I'll Believe This When I See It
Testifying before Congress today, Attorney General Eric Holder said the report of the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility on the torture memos is "in its last stages" and should be released by the end…
Disciplined prosecutor's appeal may result in disbarment
In the much-followed case of the prosecution of Santa Clara County prosecutor Ben Field, Field's appellate argument didn't go well. Two of the panel members questioned why Field hadn't been disbarred.
The global law firm: the case of Singapore
I'm interested in exploring how the globalization of the legal profession affects the level of interpersonal trust in the provision of legal services. Jay Krishnan's new paper, The Joint Law Venture: A Pilot Study, looks…
Lynne Stewart conviction upheld
More analysis later. Opinion here. Here's my original post regarding Stewart. Links to key parts of the trial. As you read commentary about whether her lawyering should be considered criminal conduct, please bear in mind…
Odds and ends (November 17, 2009)
Chevron has filed a malicious prosecution claim against the lawyer who brought an environmental tort claim against Chevron. . . . . The former GC of Bank of America discusses his termination. . . .…