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State bar finds 'shocking past culture of unethical and unacceptable behavior' in its handling of Girardi complaints

Disbarred trial lawyer Tom Girardi’s efforts to buy relationships and exercise influence at the State Bar of California likely caused some ethics complaints against him to be improperly closed, according to an outside review released Friday.



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Bill Horton, longtime ABA leader and past Health Law Section chair, dies at 63

William “Bill” Horton, a longtime leader in the ABA Health Law Section, died Tuesday from cancer. “There are those lawyers whom the ABA changes, and there are those who change the ABA. Bill Horton is one of the latter,” ABA President-Elect Mary Smith said in a tribute.



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States don’t have to 'stand idly by and watch the carnage,' 11th Circuit says in upholding age restriction on gun sales



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Ban on ‘rude’ public comments at town meetings violates state constitution, court rules

A policy allowing only “respectful and courteous” public comments at town meetings violates the state constitution, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.



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Lawyer who asserted Trump 'won in a landslide' on national TV censured for stolen election claims

A senior legal adviser to then-President Donald Trump has agreed to a public censure while admitting that her false claims about election fraud violated lawyer ethics rules.



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Suit filed on behalf of women denied abortions in Texas despite dangerous health complications

Doctors and hospitals in Texas are turning away pregnant women who face serious health risks and need abortions because the medical providers fear prosecution, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.



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Louisville, Kentucky, police department discriminates and uses excessive force, DOJ concludes

A review of Louisville, Kentucky, policing after the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor in a botched raid has led the U.S. Department of Justice to conclude that the city and its police department have engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional conduct.



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Finance-related notice for Kentucky law school posted by ABA Legal Ed Section

The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law is not in compliance with an accreditation standard focused on financial resources, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently found.



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Lawyer convicted for stealing over $26M gives up law license; money was spent on gambling, jets, 'social companions'

A former managing partner convicted in 2018 for stealing more than $26 million from his law firm and closing business has given up his Georgia law license.



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Tweets saying demonstrators should be shot and MSNBC anchor's home should be burned lead to ethics charges

A Los Angeles lawyer is facing ethics charges for Twitter posts calling for the shooting and summary execution of protesters following the 2020 death of George Floyd while in police custody.



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Using data, law prof finds many disciplined lawyers represent consumers—with no oversight

A new working paper claims that for attorneys with records of public discipline, many are sole practitioners who opened firms following lawyer regulation decisions.



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Gorsuch, Thomas question 'offended observer' standing in rejected police prayer-vigil case

Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas suggested Monday that an “offended observer” does not have standing to sue for an alleged establishment clause violation, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a police prayer-vigil case.



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ABA partners with law schools to advance new approaches to policing and public safety

Kendall Anderson, a 3L at the Syracuse University College of Law, is a fellow in the third class of the Legal Education Police Practices Consortium. He plans to study cases in which police stops end in physical altercations. “I’ll try to get insight from officers as to the training they do that is preparing and equipping them to be able to handle those situations better.”



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Law prof isn't sure whether Florida blogger bill applies to him, says second bill would help cop defamation suits

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-dominated state legislature are “willing to take their chances in court” with performative legislation that goes beyond the law as it currently stands, according to a professor at the Florida International University College of Law.



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3 law schools dinged on bar pass rates see improvement; another back in compliance with diversity standard

Updated: Three law schools have come into compliance with an ABA accreditation standard requiring two-year bar passage rates of at least 75%, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently announced.



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How young attorneys are shaking up law firm culture

Young lawyers are candid about striking a balance between work and their personal lives. For some, that means leaving behind BigLaw’s relentless pace for other kinds of work. For others, it means finding a workplace culture aligned with their priorities and values.



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Can ChatGPT help law students learn to write better?

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot that can speak and write like humans, can be weak on facts but may already be a better wordsmith than some attorneys, according to David Kemp, an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School.



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Techshow planners share productivity hacks for '60 in 60' session

Techshow planners on Friday shared 60 of their favorite apps and gadgets in a quickfire session that included some tried-and-tested products alongside practical tips for workplace productivity.



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Which consumers are interested in legal services from nonlawyers and why?

A forthcoming research study from the Duke Center on Law and Technology found that some people want to solve legal issues on their own, but they would like a way to check in with someone to make sure they aren’t missing anything.



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Fictional ABA Techshow hearing tackles hot-button issue on amending rules of professional conduct

Should states relax rules of professional conduct to address the access-to-justice crisis and make legal services more affordable? On Friday, a panel of experts took on that question during a fictional hearing at the second and final keynote at this year’s ABA Techshow at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.



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How can lawyers use AI to improve their practice?

As cool as it is that artificial intelligence can generate text, that’s not what will matter most to the practice of law in the coming months and years, said Pablo Arredondo, co-founder and chief innovation officer at Casetext, a legal technology company that aims to improve access to legal research.



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Pro tips for using Zoom in virtual courtroom proceedings

Three years into a pandemic full of uncertainties, one thing is clear—virtual legal proceedings are here to stay. Now, attorneys are expected to control the nuances of Zoom to create the most impact.



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Techshow vendors relish return to exhibition floor amid ChatGPT buzz

ChatGPT was on the minds of vendors and attendees at the ABA Techshow 2023 on Thursday, as hundreds gathered for the ABA’s first fully in-person legal technology event in three years.



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What are state tax rules for cryptocurrency exchanges, and what do they mean for lawyers?

Although it’s hard to know where a client paying through blockchain technology is based, lawyers have to find out for tax purposes, says Jamie Szal, a Maine tax attorney.



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