Déjà Vu All Over Again

Given the latest snit fit (and rightfully so) that the California Legislature has about the bar right now, it is clear that the system still isn’t working right.
Tags: Law, California, Legal Ethics, Legislature, California State Bar, Jill Switzer, Tom Girardi

Kraken Sanctions Hearing Devolves Into Screaming Sh*tshow Debacle

Who could have predicted this shocking turn of events?
Tags: Law, Government, Donald Trump, Legal Ethics, Sidney Powell, Election Law, Lin Wood, Kraken Sanctions Hearing Devolves

Above The Law’s 2018 Lawyer Of The Year Sentenced To 30 Months

Michael Avenatti has gone on quite a journey over the past couple years.
Tags: Crime, Law, Government, Legal Ethics, Michael Avenatti

Stiffed, Subpoenaed, And Disqualified. It’s All In A Week’s Work For Rudy Giuliani.

Coulda stayed quiet and stayed America's Mayor.
Tags: Law, Government, America, Rudy Giuliani, Legal Ethics

A Very Special Clarification From Ontario’s Law Society Tribunal: Lawyers Can Advertise That They “Specialize” Without Being a “Specialist”

Rule 4.3-1 of Ontario’s Rules of Professional Conduct states “A lawyer shall not advertise that the lawyer is a specialist in a specific field unless the lawyer has been so certified by the Law Society.” Similar rules are in place in other jurisdictions, although the precise language varies.[1] The reason for the rule is straightforward. The LSO has a Certified Specialist program, intended to assist the public in determining which lawyers “have met established standards of experience and knowled...
Tags: Law, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Legal Ethics, Ontario, Rothman, LSO, Law Society of Ontario, Appeal Panel, LSO Tribunal, Law Society Tribunal Appeal Panel, Society of Ontario, ONLSTA, Rothman 2019 ONLSTH, Rothman 2021 ONLSTA

Playground Or Courtroom?

It amazes me how childish lawyers can be.
Tags: Florida, Law, Legal Ethics, Jill Switzer

Lawyer Suspended For ‘Intend[ing] To Incite Intensified Racial Conflict’

His social media posts were described as 'troubling.'
Tags: Law, Social Media, Legal Ethics, Lawyers Behaving Badly, George Floyd, David Traywick

Legislating a Family Law Culture Shift

On March 1, 2021, the long-awaited amendments to the Divorce Act, RSC 1985 c3 (2nd Supp) came into effect, changing the word “custody” to the more accurate “decision-making”, expanding on the best interests of the child test, creating presumptions for relocation, and for the first time, recognizing family violence. In addition to these crucial substantive changes, there has been a bubbling excitement among the family law bar about the amendments’ emphasis on resolving family law matters through ...
Tags: Law, Court, US, Canada, British Columbia, Legal Ethics, Murdoch, Martin, Becker, Supreme Court of Canada, Law Reform Commission, Colucci, Mauldin, Action Committee on Access to Justice, Hryniak, SCR

First Department Spanks Rudy Guiliani. Does He Care? You Bet.

The court found that Giuliani committed such egregious violations of the rules of professional conduct that his immediate suspension was necessary to avoid 'continuing misconduct.'
Tags: Law, Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani, Legal Ethics, Rudy Guiliani, Toni Messina, First Department, Criminal Defense Attorneys

Andy Giuliani Flips Sh*t In Parking Lot While Rudy Moans ‘America Is Not America’

Showing the same discretion and aplomb which got his license to practice law suspended in the first place.
Tags: Law, Government, America, Rudy Giuliani, Legal Ethics, Andy Giuliani

Biglaw Lawyer Bills 2000+ Hours To Closed Matter… Disciplinary Committee Displeased

Working on a phony summary judgment motion... for a year!
Tags: Law, Biglaw, Legal Ethics, Lewis Brisbois

A Taxonomy of Judicial Technological Competence

Earlier this month, the Canadian Judicial Council published updated ethics guidance for federally appointed judges. The new Ethical Principles for Judges substantially revises a 1998 document of the same name. Among the revisions is a caution that judges must be technologically competent. The section addressing judicial diligence and competence includes the following statement: 3.C.5 Judges should develop and maintain proficiency with technology relevant to the nature and performance of their ju...
Tags: Facebook, New York, Law, Canada, United States, Wisconsin, Legal Ethics, LexisNexis, Ontario, Bob Ambrogi, CJC, Canadian Judicial Council, Law Commission of Ontario, American Bar Association House of Delegates, Jena McGill, National Centre for State Courts

Lawyers Question Made Up Rule Cited By DC Disciplinary Bar To Disappear Bill Barr Ethics Complaint

'Because politics' is a reason to avoid oversight now?
Tags: Law, Government, Legal Ethics, Bill Barr

Standards, Rules, and Law’s Quest for Certainty

Law should be drafted in a way that prevents litigation. Statutes, regulations, and precedents should ideally let people predict the decisions that legal authorities would make, if presented with certain facts. If the “shadow of the law” is sharp and clear, then people can avoid and resolve disputes instead of spending time and money litigating over them. Often, however, it is difficult to create law that both keeps people out of court, and ensures that the resolutions they reach out of court ar...
Tags: Law, Tribunal, Legal Ethics, Ontario, Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal BCCRT, John Braithwaite

Law Firm Shelling Out $300K In Yacht Kickback Case

Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me.
Tags: Law, Legal Ethics, Referrals

Lawyer Finds It VERY Expensive To Flip The Bird

You probably shouldn't do that during oral arguments.
Tags: Law, Legal Ethics, Flipping The Bird, Zoom Fail, James Heos

Judge Says Juvenile Arrest OBVIOUS Outcome Of Liking The Rap Music

Judge reaches into bag of stereotypes for cringey hearing.
Tags: Law, Racism, Courts, Legal Ethics