Categories
. Legal ethics

Shimkonicity (shim-ko-nis-a-tee)

When I first read some reporting about this decision from Ohio involving the indefinite suspension of a lawyer, I expected it to come across very much as an obvious case of a lawyer’s third strike leading to a steep punishment. But, the coming together of so many things with respect to this lawyer’s situation actually […]

Categories
Judicial Ethics

Two Arkansas items involving rare procedural developments

As I attempt this week to get back into the saddle, two items – each relatively unusual and each involving Arkansas – grabbed my attention. One involves a judge and the other a lawyer. Although Fridays are usually reserved for standard “follow ups,” the first item is in the nature of follow-up because I wrote […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

Nearly four years later… and I’m making that James Bond reference this time.

So, if any of you are still around these parts after I’ve gone some 12 days without writing any content, then you are in for me dredging someone up that I previously wrote about on June 30, 2015. An attorney named Rodger Moore. Rodger Moore. And he was suspended for the practice of law for […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

Overreaching on attorney fees. Plaintiff’s lawyers do it too.

There are always a variety of ways that examples of overreaching by attorneys on fees manage to push into the legal news. Recently, I wrote about one example involving hourly billing. More often than not, overreaching under that system is what makes the news. It is not the only way that attorneys overreach on fees […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

Lying about everything is an awful way to go about life.

So, I am rapidly approach the 4th anniversary of this blog and this is the very first time I have had a post sharing exactly the same title as an earlier post. Interestingly (at least to me), that earlier post with that title was written on Groundhog’s Day 2 years ago. The title for this […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

More UPL Madness From Ohio

You may recall some past discussion here of the prolonged saga of the Dinsmore lawyer who moved from one of its offices in Kentucky to its Cincinnati, Ohio office and nearly was denied comity admission in Ohio over accusations of the unauthorized practice of law. While that story ended happily — she was ultimately determined […]

Categories
Judicial Ethics

Supreme problems

A lot of attention is focused on goings-on related to the U.S. Supreme Court – and rightly so given the stakes and given the nature of the saga that continues to unfold. But, lost in the shuffle is the fact that 2 state Supreme Courts in our nation are, at present, entirely in a state […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

Neither a stalker nor a burglar be.

Matters of the heart have caused people lots of problems throughout the course of human history.  Matters of the heart, when the heart is located inside the chest of a lawyer, work pretty much the same way. Of course, sometimes stories that, on the surface, seem like matters of the heart might be more fairly […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

Nebraska demonstrating less patience than Tennessee

Although I live in SEC country, I am a Chelsea FC fan rather than a follower of college football.  So this is not a sly college football reference in my title.  (I am aware that apparently UT lost its first game of the season but have literally no idea whether the Cornhuskers have even played […]

Categories
. Legal ethics

Can’t stop, won’t stop. Now … full stop.

I’m really, truly not trying to fall into the habit of only managing one post a week.  As proof, here’s a post about a Tennessee lawyer who couldn’t/wouldn’t follow the rules. It is a fascinating case study for at least two reasons.  One is that discipline for conflicts of interest is, all things considered, relatively […]