ABA Journal

Lawyer Discipline

425 ABA Journal Lawyer Discipline articles.

Former BigLaw attorney gets 1-year suspension for trading on information learned as conflicts counsel

A former Cozen O’Connor attorney has agreed to a one-year suspension of his law license in Pennsylvania for using information that he learned as a conflicts attorney to buy stock in advance of a merger.

Georgia lawyer who bragged of shutting down ‘stolen election shenanigans’ is found guilty in Jan. 6 case

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., found a Georgia criminal defense lawyer guilty of several charges Monday for entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and pounding on doors with other rioters before making it to outside the office of Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

First lawyer who advised Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson should face ethics probe, group tells regulators

A group called Lawyers Defending American Democracy is asking ethics officials to investigate the lawyer who originally represented Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide who testified before the Jan. 6, 2021, committee about events regarding the U.S. Capitol attack.

Taylor English partner screamed at opposing counsel, called her a ‘worthless human,’ sanctions motion claims

Updated: A federal judge in North Carolina has determined that a Taylor English partner engaged in "unacceptable, deplorable" conduct in a courtroom confrontation with his opposing counsel.

Judge tosses ethics case against Sidney Powell, citing ‘numerous defects’ in regulator’s exhibits

A judge in Texas has tossed an ethics case against lawyer Sidney Powell for alleged frivolous election lawsuits, citing regulators’ refusal to fix a faulty evidence list as a key reason it was unable to meet its evidentiary burden.

Magistrate judge recommends ethics probe of Northwestern law prof, who sees ‘crock of nonsense’

A professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is firing back after a federal magistrate judge said he should be referred to disciplinary authorities for his “shameful” conduct in a probate dispute with his mentally ill sister.

Law prof Eastman’s false statements about election helped provoke Capitol rioters, ethics charges say

Former Chapman University law professor John Eastman should be disbarred in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his false statements that helped provoke Capitol rioters, according to California ethics regulators.

Using N-word at home is not lawyer ethics violation, hearing committee says

A now-former judge who used the N-word in a video taken at her home did not violate lawyer ethics rules, according to a hearing committee of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board.

Former judge is disbarred for sexually harassing police officer, court reporter and prosecutor

A former judge in Chicago has been disbarred after he was accused of trying to kiss a police officer, asking a court reporter about the cost of sex, and making demeaning remarks about a prosecutor.

Former BigLaw associate gets suspension for inflating time spent on document review project

A former Dentons associate in Chicago has received a short suspension for his claim that he had reviewed 425 documents for a client, when in reality he had reviewed only 20 of those documents.

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