Ethics

Did 9 firms making deals with Trump violate bribery, anti-fraud laws? Democratic letters seek answers

Sixteen Democratic lawmakers have sent letters to nine law firms that ask them to disavow deals with President Donald Trump and to answer questions about their legality.

Apr 24, 2025 2:26 PM CDT

‘Is this a throwback to the McCarthy era?’ Judges consider injunction bids by firms targeted in Trump orders

Two federal judges sharply questioned a government lawyer Wednesday as they considered bids by Perkins Coie and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr to permanently enjoin executive orders that target them and their clients.

Apr 24, 2025 10:57 AM CDT

3 Eric Adams prosecutors won’t confess ‘wrongdoing when there was none,’ their resignation letter says

Three federal prosecutors who worked on the dropped corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams have submitted their emailed resignation letter, saying they won’t accept a requirement to “express regret and admit some wrongdoing” by their office when it refused to dismiss the case.

Apr 23, 2025 11:12 AM CDT

Magistrate resigns after alleged Venezuelan gang member is arrested while living in his casita

A magistrate judge in New Mexico has resigned after an immigrant with alleged ties to a Venezuelan gang was arrested at his home.

Apr 22, 2025 12:15 PM CDT

Magistrate who used slur has ‘shown no aptitude for self-improvement,’ top state court says in removal order

The Iowa Supreme Court has ousted a judicial magistrate accused of using a racial slur to refer to a Hispanic defendant and labeling a male youth’s sexual assault claim as “absurd.”

Apr 22, 2025 9:44 AM CDT

Former DOJ lawyer faces disbarment for entanglement in ‘one of the largest kleptocracy schemes in history’

A lawyer who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice is facing disbarment after pleading guilty for his role in an illegal foreign influence scheme that allegedly stemmed from his friendship and legal work for hip-hop artist Prakazrel “Pras” Michel.

Apr 17, 2025 3:07 PM CDT

Suit is ‘almost a word-for-word carbon copy’ of prior complaint filed by different lawyers, federal judge says

Updated: A federal judge in Puerto Rico has said she is considering sanctions for a San Juan, Puerto Rico, lawyer who filed a lawsuit that is “almost a word-for-word carbon copy” of a suit filed by different lawyers representing different plaintiffs.

Apr 15, 2025 8:53 AM CDT

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice agrees to license suspension for alleged election-review misconduct

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael J. Gableman has agreed to the suspension of his law license to resolve an ethics complaint that stems from his investigation of the 2020 election for the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Apr 11, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

‘Stay out of my shorts,’ other discourteous comments led to censure for New York judge

Updated: A New York judge who didn’t want to transition to new case-tracking systems has agreed to a censure for gratuitous and discourteous remarks that he made while expressing his displeasure to colleagues and to officials who transferred him to a new court.

Apr 10, 2025 2:11 PM CDT

Federal judge’s Columbia clerk boycott didn’t harm public confidence in judiciary, judicial council rules

A judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade did not violate ethics rules by refusing to hire law clerks who attended Columbia University, according to the judicial council of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago.

Apr 10, 2025 11:36 AM CDT

Recruitment of lawyers from Trump-targeted firms is ethics violation, Democrats’ letter says

Updated: Two Democratic lawmakers are asking White House counsel David Warrington and six BigLaw firms for information related to deals made with President Donald Trump to avoid punitive executive orders.

Apr 9, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Lawyers have to level up skills in the age of generative AI

Back when using technology meant using tools to correct grammar and spelling or automate documents, lawyers didn’t need much training. But that’s no longer the case—not with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, a helpful but tricky tool that has the potential to serve up information that sounds plausible but might not be accurate.

Apr 5, 2025 9:15 AM CDT

Judges urge lawyers to embrace AI or risk falling behind

The judges have spoken. At an ABA Techshow panel Friday afternoon in Chicago, three judges handed down their verdict on artificial intelligence: It’s a must-do to survive in law.

Apr 5, 2025 9:00 AM CDT

Using generative artificial intelligence? Ethics guidance is available

Jennifer Wondracek, a professor of legal research and writing at the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, spoke Thursday during an ABA Techshow 2025 program titled, “Ethical Panel Considerations for Lawyers Using Artificial Intelligence.” She and her co-panelists shared their approaches to using generative artificial intelligence in legal practice, as well as potential risks to keep in mind.

Apr 4, 2025 9:15 AM CDT

When are lawyers barred from dropping clients because of ‘materially adverse’ effect? ABA ethics opinion addresses issue

A lawyer’s motivation for ending a client representation is not relevant when assessing whether the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct bar the withdrawal because of a “materially adverse” impact, but three other factors matter, according to an ABA ethics opinion released Wednesday.

Apr 3, 2025 9:11 AM CDT