Ethics

Judge who said she showed compassion for sentenced defendant is suspended for disregarding the law

A Nevada judge who argued a state supreme reversal order “could mean a lot of things” has been suspended for failing to comply with the law.

Oct 1, 2025 1:49 PM CDT

Bryan Garner: If your client’s case has bad facts, how can you present them in the best possible light?

Like everyone else, lawyers sometimes find themselves in extremis. A dire circumstance may call for an extreme argument—the classic last-ditch, desperate appeal. The ultimate test is whether the argument wins the day. Typically, the far-fetched argument doesn’t.

Oct 1, 2025 1:20 AM CDT

ABA ethics opinion addresses how to handle criminal offenses that clients commit against lawyers

What happens to the lawyers who get taken in by scams and subsequently defrauded? Are they permitted to disclose the details of the crimes against them to law enforcement, or do they have to stay silent because of their duty of confidentiality toward clients or prospective clients?

Oct 1, 2025 1:15 AM CDT

Presiding over remote court calendar while riding in car among reasons for judge’s suspension

A Minnesota judge was reprimanded and suspended from office without pay for nine months, for abusing his authority in a dispute over his court reporter’s pay and presiding over a remote court calendar from a moving car. But a third allegation concerning bias against noncitizen juveniles was not a factor in the sanction.

Sep 30, 2025 12:03 PM CDT

Some law firms reap fees for opponents’ AI errors, but one lawyer who failed to detect them got zilch

Judges are imposing hefty fines on attorneys who use faulty case citations in legal briefs that are likely generated by artificial intelligence. The sanctions usually are paid to law firms that expended time as a result of the errors—but not in one recent case in California.

Sep 25, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Lawyer suspended after criticizing client’s mothering skills in response to negative review

A Denver lawyer who called a client “a terrible mother” in response to a negative Facebook review has been suspended from law practice for her online comments and her conduct in three other cases.

Sep 25, 2025 9:31 AM CDT

Citation errors and hallucinated case turn up in Boies Schiller brief in ‘artificial-intelligence debacle’

A partner at Boies Schiller Flexner is seeking to file a corrected brief in litigation against the Church of Scientology after taking responsibility for “material citation errors” that it contained.

Sep 24, 2025 12:01 PM CDT

Judge accused of sexually harassing colleagues, showing up at courthouse after drinking alcohol

Updated: A misconduct complaint accuses a Michigan judge of sexually harassing female colleagues, including by describing “his sexual activities” and expressing a long-time desire for sex with a fellow judge.

Sep 18, 2025 3:27 PM CDT

Judge wielded power ‘like a tyrant’ but is ‘not beyond redemption,’ state supreme court says in removal order

The Indiana Supreme Court has removed a judge from office and permanently banned him from the bench, saying he “wielded his position of power like a tyrant” as he favored certain litigants while degrading others.

Sep 17, 2025 10:49 AM CDT

Suspended lawyer accused of citing hallucinated case in bid to reinstate law license

A suspended Iowa lawyer cited at least one hallucinated case likely generated by artificial intelligence in his bid to return to law practice, according to a motion filed by the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board.

Sep 12, 2025 9:27 AM CDT

LGBTQ rights lawyer faces federal indictment for testimony in ‘judge shopping’ probe

A lawyer working for an advocacy organization for the LGBTQ+ community is facing a federal indictment alleging that he made false statements while testifying in an inquiry into "judge shopping."

Sep 11, 2025 12:15 PM CDT

Judge admonishes BigLaw partner because he ‘apparently felt entitled’ to make misleading statements about expert’s travel

A federal judge in Las Vegas has admonished a partner from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman for making misleading statements about the availability of an expert witness, attributing his conduct to apparent “entitlement.”

Sep 10, 2025 9:21 AM CDT

Justice in Action: With ABA support, Colombia drafts a declaration of judicial ethics

For several years, the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative implemented programs in Colombia to improve the capacity of judges and court personnel, combat human trafficking cases and public corruption, strengthen judicial practice in rural areas, further migrant integration and citizen security, and support environmental defenders in the Amazon region. These programs were funded by the United States government through its Department of State.

Sep 10, 2025 9:08 AM CDT

How lawyers can use generative AI to get a leg up in communicating with clients

An artificial intelligence platform may help lawyers have an advantage when it comes to communication with their clients.

Sep 10, 2025 8:51 AM CDT

Talk to the Animals: If AI can translate whistles, barks and meows, could it be used in court?

Fast-moving developments in artificial intelligence could one day crack the codes to translating animals’ whistles, chirps, clicks and barks—allowing humans and animals to communicate with each other at new levels and spawning a host of legal and ethical questions.

Sep 8, 2025 9:22 AM CDT