Lawyer Disciplined for Multi-Tasking at CLE
The Supreme Court of Kansas disciplined a lawyer for making a “materially false statement” in reporting his attendance at an MCLE program. See In re Mathews, No. 120,924 (Ks. Sep. …
Court Reports Lawyer for Filing Brief Filled with “Gibberish”
We have all seen this brief before. But the Seventh Circuit could take it no more. In a November 2019 opinion, the court noted that “[b]ad writing does not normally …
Judge Expressly Orders Lawyer to Violate Rules of Professional Conduct
It is not uncommon for public defenders in Louisiana to complain that being forced to handle an excessive criminal-defense caseload violates Louisiana Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1. That rule requires …
Judge Reprimanded for Facebook “Likes” and “Shares” on Social Issues
May a judge tacitly comment on social issues of the day by “liking” and “sharing” posts by others on Facebook? No, according to a November 2019 public reprimand by the …
May a Lawyer Incentivize Favorable Online Reviews?
Online legal directories (such as Avvo) permit clients to review and rate their lawyers. Likewise, innumerable social-media sites (like Facebook, YouTube, and others) allow users to “connect” with lawyers and …
New Mexico Adopts Lawyer Anti-Discrimination Rule
Effective December 1, 2019, New Mexico became the sixth state to adopt a disciplinary standard identical to or analogous to the anti-discrimination provision of ABA Model Rule 8.4. See N.M. …
On Being Forced Into and Excluded from the Bar Association
I am a New Orleans law professor, lawyer, and card-carrying member of the Louisiana State Bar Association. For more than 30 years, I have enthusiastically volunteered hundreds of hours working …
Tennessee Supreme Court Rejects Ethics Opinion on Prosecutors’ Brady Obligation
On August 23, 2019, the Tennessee Supreme Court declared that “the ethical obligations” of prosecutors to disclose exculpatory evidence under Rule 3.8(d) of Tennessee’s Rules of Professional Conduct are “coextensive …
May a Lawyer Use a Client’s Name in Advertisements?
Yes, but only with permission. The Supreme Court of South Carolina recently added a new comment to the the state’s rules of professional conduct “reminding lawyers that Rule 1.6 requires …
When Dinosaurs Attack
Just when you think public officials couldn’t get any sillier, this report comes out of Franklin County, Washington: “Superior court judges in Washington state who disagreed with their clerk about …