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 …
Lawyer Disciplined for Racial Discrimination
The Supreme Court of New Jersey reprimanded a lawyer for violating the anti-discrimination provisions of Rule 8.4(g) in a medical malpractice case against an Asian optometrist. See In re Farmer, …
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 …
Should Louisiana Force its Lawyers to Pay for Speech That They Don’t Support?
By Jacob Huebert, James Baehr, and Dane S. Ciolino The First Amendment guarantees every American’s freedom of speech and freedom of association. That means we all get to choose what …
Discipline for Disembarking Uninvited Racoon from Boat?
Should a lawyer be subject to discipline for tossing a racoon off of his fishing boat? Florida disciplinary authorities have opened an investigation into a lawyer who shooed a racoon …
What Disciplinary Sanction is Appropriate for Billing “Phantom” Hours?
On March 15, 2019, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia suspended a lawyer for three months for false billing practices. See Lawyer Disciplinary Bd. v. Hassan, No. 16-1210 …
Lawyer Reinstated Following Suspension for Outrageous Harassment of Paralegal
On March 11, 2019, the Ohio Supreme Court reinstated Cleveland lawyer Howard E. Skolnick after suspending him for one year with six months deferred for his outrageous harassment of a …
Lawyer Sanctioned for Calling Trial Judge “Succubustic”
A disgruntled lawyer dissatisfied with a trial judge’s ruling appealed from what he characterized as a “disgraceful order,” that reflected the trial court’s “succubustic adoption of the defense position, and …
Former Federal Prosecutor Disbarred for Anonymous Online Posts
On December 5, 2018, the Louisiana Supreme Court disbarred former federal prosecutor Salvador R. Perricone for inappropriate online posts relating to cases handled by his office. See In re Perricone, No. 2018-B-1233 …