Litigation Management

Use of ChatGPT to support fee bid is ‘utterly and unusually unpersuasive,’ federal judge says

A federal judge in New York City has reduced a law firm’s fee request by about half after criticizing its use of the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT-4 as a “cross-check” to determine prevailing market rates for attorneys.

Feb 27, 2024 8:20 AM CST

Lawyer’s ‘intimidating and degrading conduct’ was ‘a business model of sorts, based on fear,’ state supreme court says

The Tennessee Supreme Court has disbarred a Tennessee lawyer, citing a pattern of “egregious” communications apparently intended to intimidate and humiliate the opposing counsel to gain an unfair advantage in litigation.

Feb 22, 2024 9:53 AM CST

Lawyer censured after calling governor ‘tyrant’ and lawmakers ‘spineless tools’ in COVID-19 litigation

A New Mexico lawyer has received a public censure partly for “inflammatory and misleading statements” in litigation opposing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, including a claimed right to disqualify judges who had received COVID-19 vaccines.

Feb 6, 2024 3:55 PM CST

Is calling litigation ‘without merit’ actually without merit?

Scan corporate financial filings, and it doesn’t take long to notice that companies often dismiss legal actions brought against them as being “without merit” or “meritless.” But a federal court ruling suggests that reliance on such phrases can backfire when it comes to litigation disclosures.

Feb 2, 2024 10:06 AM CST

Quinn Emanuel disclosure order highlights relatively new product: judgment preservation insurance

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan must disclose terms of judgment preservation insurance that it allegedly bought before distributing a $185 million fee award to partners, according to a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge.

Jan 31, 2024 3:39 PM CST

North Carolina Supreme Court justice drops lawsuit against ethics body investigating her diversity comments

Judicial ethics regulators in North Carolina have dropped their investigation of a state supreme court justice who told a legal publication that her newly elected colleagues have an allegiance “to their ideology, not to the institution.”

Jan 22, 2024 8:55 AM CST

Ex-bankruptcy judge claims immunity in suit alleging he retaliated against litigant who revealed romance

Former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David R. Jones of Houston has said he is immune from an Oct. 4 lawsuit contending that he retaliated against a litigant who revealed the judge’s relationship with a lawyer whose law firm had cases before the court.

Jan 3, 2024 12:22 PM CST

Response to fake-citations query implicates attorney-client privilege, Michael Cohen’s lawyer says

A federal judge who threatened to impose sanctions against former lawyer Michael Cohen’s attorney for apparently citing fake cases has agreed that the lawyer can file his response under seal—at least for now.

Dec 19, 2023 3:05 PM CST

Lawyer posted nude photos on public docket to humiliate and pressure opponent, federal judge concludes

A New York lawyer has been sanctioned for posting nude photos of his litigation opponent on the public docket. A senior judge in the Southern District of New York ordered the lawyer to pay a $1,000 sanction.

Dec 14, 2023 11:29 AM CST

Lawyer for Michael Cohen apparently cited nonexistent cases, judge says; new counsel pointed out problem

A lawyer representing former lawyer Michael Cohen in a bid to end supervised release, David M. Schwartz, is facing possible sanctions following an unusual footnote by a new counsel who joined the case.

Dec 13, 2023 3:21 PM CST

Navigating family law cases requires an abundance of one thing: respect

My 40-plus years litigation practice in the Toronto area consisted of a moderate amount of family, aka matrimonial, cases. In spite of this area being emotionally charged, I think that I was able to maintain a reasonable degree of sanity. Reasonable.

Dec 4, 2023 2:58 PM CST

ABA seeks to toss suit over limited data breach, saying allegations based on ‘implausible assertion’

The ABA is seeking to dismiss a data-breach lawsuit filed against the association, saying the plaintiffs are relying on “the implausible assertion” that the March 2023 incident exposed the plaintiffs’ personal and financial data.

Nov 27, 2023 12:28 PM CST

Justice Thomas has ‘serious doubts’ about binding nature of mass-tort bellwether trials

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday expressed his “serious doubts” about using bellwether trials in multidistrict litigation to prevent defendants from relitigating issues decided in lawsuits by different plaintiffs.

Nov 22, 2023 2:38 PM CST

‘Immature sniping’ by BigLaw lawyers could lead to sanctions if it continues, federal judge says

Updated: A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has said she has “zero tolerance for immature sniping and sharp litigation practices,” yet “that behavior continues” in a case involving Walgreens and its former law firm.

Nov 21, 2023 12:14 PM CST

6th Circuit refuses to toss special master for ‘mild criticism’ in his mistaken ‘reply all’ email

A federal appeals court has rejected a bid to toss a special master from opioid litigation because of a mistaken “reply all” email that included his private notes.

Nov 16, 2023 12:08 PM CST