#LegalEthics Tidbit: Do I need to run a conflict check at my #Passover seder?
A man attended a Passover seder and took the opportunity to seek some free legal advice from his host’s daughter, a NY lawyer. Four years later, other lawyers at the NY lawyer’s firm filed suit against the man in a PA court. The man moved to disqualify, claiming that the seder conversation created an implied attorney client relationship with the firm. The ... (cont.)
#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I get suspended if my #AprilFools joke involves loaded guns?
A DE prosecutor wanted to play a practical joke on a colleague, who had often teased the prosecutor about his aversion to the smell of hardboiled eggs. After persistent badgering, the prosecutor convinced a courthouse bailiff to draw his gun, throw open the door to the interview room where his colleague was working, and shout “Gelof says keep the eggs away from ... (cont.)
Since taking office, #Trump has dismissed or demoted more than 20 inspectors general, sharply undermining the ability of the offices to act as a check on #misconduct [as Trump planned]. According to a congressional report, in the 2024 fiscal year alone, the inspectors general fired by Trump identified more than $50 billion in waste & abuse.
It was only one of many issues that the dept’s Office of #InspectorGeneral [#OIG] appears to have ignored, they said.
“The epidemic of alleged #misconduct has been met with a shrug by the agency whose job it is to address such allegations,” they said in their letter, which was sent to the #Republican & #Democratic leaders of the #House & #Senate #Judiciary Committees.
The #DOJ’s internal watchdog has seemingly ignored 20 instances of possible wrongdoing by the #Trump admin, lawyers for a #whistleblower said in a letter on Monday urging lawmakers to address the “apparent collapse” of an office meant to root out #misconduct.
The lawyers pointed to the case of their client, Erez Reuveni, who was fired in April last year amid a legal fight over the admin’s decision to send immigrants to #CECOT, a maximum-security prison in #ElSalvador. It
#DOJ Watchdog Has Gone Silent, Lawyers for #WhistleBlower Say
Lawyers for a fired Justice Department lawyer say the agency’s #InspectorGeneral appears to have ignored at least 20 different requests to scrutinize #misconduct.
#Trump #law #LegalEthics
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/us/politics/trump-administration-doj-watchdog-reuveni.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
#LegalEthics Tidbit: Do I have a duty to supervise my bookkeeper if my law partner seems to be on top of it?
Lawyer A and Lawyer B formed a two-person firm in FL. On the advice of Lawyer B’s husband, they hired a bookkeeper whose background check came back “squeaky clean.” In fact, Lawyer B’s husband never did a background check and the bookkeeper had a criminal record, which Lawyer B later learned but Lawyer A didn’t learn. Lawyer A didn’t get ...(cont.)
#LegalEthics Tidbit: If I didn’t know that my brief contained citations fabricated by #AI, did I commit a “knowing” ethical violation?
A NE divorce lawyer submitted an appellate brief to the Court of Appeals that contained over a dozen fake citations and fabricated quotations generated by AI. Because this was an issue of first impression in the state, the NE Supreme Court grabbed the case for itself. The Court held that Rule 3.3 (candor to the tribunal) ...(cont.)
#LegalEthics Tidbit: Is it unethical for the judge to start a hearing earlier than it was scheduled?
A LA judge presiding over a second-degree murder trial directed everyone to return at 9:00 am the next morning for closing arguments. The next day, everyone was present at 8:30am so the judge decided to get started early. The prosecution objected because the victim’s family, which was on its way, had relied on the 9:00 am start time and, since ... (cont.)
#LegalEthics Tidbit: Make sure the lawyer whose brief you are plagiarizing wasn’t already sanctioned for #AI misuse.
A NY lawyer representing an architectural firm in a suit over a house collapse asserted over thirty affirmative defenses. The house owners’ counsel moved to strike the defenses and the lawyer filed an opposition brief. The opposition brief not only contained non-existent cases, but allegedly “plagiarized nearly the entirety of a brief” ... (cont.)
David Kluft
Nonilex