Ed. note: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup, here.
Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.
Happy Monday!
Here are your headlines.
Highlights from Last Week – Top Ten Headlines
#1 “Vigilante Lawyers Expose the Rising Tide of A.I. Slop in Court Filings.” From the New York Times: “Mr. Freund is part of a growing network of lawyers who track down A.I. abuses committed by their peers, collecting the most egregious examples and posting them online. The group hopes that by tracking down the A.I. slop, it can help draw attention to the problem and put an end to it. … ‘These cases are damaging the reputation of the bar,’ said Stephen Gillers, an ethics professor at New York University School of Law. ‘Lawyers everywhere should be ashamed of what members of their profession are doing.’ … The problem, though, keeps getting worse. That’s why Damien Charlotin, a lawyer and researcher in France, started an online database in April to track it.” Read more here (gift link).
#2 “Law Firm Ownership Could Be Opened to Non-Lawyers in Tennessee.” From Bloomberg Law: “Tennessee is looking at non-lawyer ownership of law firms, a possibility that would create rare access to the profession for investors and corporations. The state Supreme Court, which says it is worried about an insufficient supply of legal services, is taking comments on whether it should loosen ownership rules. The goal is ‘to ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable quality legal services,’ the court said in an order last month. If a change moves forward, the state will join Arizona and Utah in liberalizing rules to let a broad array of new players put money into firms. A range of participants—KPMG, Fortress Investment Group, Rocket Lawyer, and LegalZoom—have jumped into the fray in those states and proponents see similar possibilities in Tennessee.” Read more here.
#3 “Dems’ Bill Would Give DHS Detainees Right To Talk To Atty.” From Law360: “Democratic lawmakers unveiled a bill Friday that would guarantee immigrant detainees the right to contact their families and speak to legal counsel in custody, amid the Trump administration’s push to ramp up major enforcement efforts that have led to arrests of people while dropping off children at school or grocery shopping. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., are leading the charge with the backing of 58 U.S. Senate and House of Representatives lawmakers in their introduction of the bicameral legislation, ‘Restoring Access to Detainees Act,’ which would ensure that noncitizen detainees are provided limited, free telephone services to speak with their legal counsel and stay in contact with their families.” Read more here.
#4 “Lawmakers Seek Investigation of Judges Who Criticized Supreme Court.” From the New York Times: “The Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees appealed to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Wednesday to look into whether federal judges who responded to a New York Times questionnaire with criticism of the Supreme Court had violated their ethics obligations. … The letter comes weeks after The Times published an article in which dozens of federal judges accused the Supreme Court of mishandling its emergency docket, complaining that its orders were too brief, opaque and vague for the lower courts to follow — particularly in the many cases where the justices issued emergency orders, but offered no reasoning for their decision.” Read more here (gift link).
#5 “Ex-NJ Lawyer Disciplined For Sharing Fees With Non-Attys.” From Law360: “The New Jersey Supreme Court has handed down a deferred two-year suspension to a retired attorney for improperly sharing more than $650,000 in fees with nonattorneys over several years after he had been censured for similar misconduct.” Read more here.
#6 “Brad Karp Heckled at Gala as He Defends Paul Weiss Pro Bono.” From Bloomberg Law: “Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp defended the firm’s pro bono work in the wake of its deal with President Donald Trump, as he was heckled and protested at a bar association event. In a nearly 30-minute speech Friday night at the New York Bar Foundation gala honoring Paul Weiss partner Loretta Lynch, Karp listed the firm’s past and present pro bono work for liberal causes.” Read more here.
#7 “Federal Judge Accused of Misconduct Disbarred by Alaska Supreme Court.” From Alaska’s News Source: “The Alaska Supreme Court has ordered former federal judge Joshua Kindred to be disbarred from the practice of law in Alaska. Kindred is the first ever judge to be disbarred in Alaska. This comes after investigators found that Kindred had a ‘sexualized relationship’ with a clerk who became a prosecutor and lied about it to a senior judge and investigators and maintained a hostile workplace for law clerks. He resigned in 2024.” Read more here.
#8 “US Attorneys Beware: Acting Outside Ethical Boundaries May Cause Irreparable Damage.” From The Law Journal Editorial Board: “It is disappointing to read that federal judges across the country have expressed displeasure with representations and arguments of lawyers from what was the previously highly regarded United States Department of Justice. Judges have become skeptical and critical of their arguments, despite the historical presumption that they act in good faith and with a ‘presumption of regularity.’ According to U.S. Senior District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia (himself a former assistant United States attorney and assistant to the solicitor general of the United States), federal ‘courts have seen instance after instance of departure from this tradition.’” Read more here.
#9 “Too Sick to Practice? Ethics Rules Still Apply to Attorneys.” From the Daily Journal: “As flu season sets in, even the most tireless lawyer must recognize when illness demands a pause — because ethical duties don’t take sick days.” Read more here.
#10 “UH Law Center Panel Explores Ways Lawyers Can Be Effective and Ethical Leaders, Advisors.” From the University of Houston: “Lawyers play pivotal roles across the wide spectrum of American centers of power – from the White House to local governments, from corporate boardrooms to nonprofit organizations. A recent online webinar hosted by the University of Houston Law Center, ‘Lawyers Who Lead: Ethics, Influence, and Impact,’ examined the significant influence lawyers can hold and how to exercise it responsibly.” Read more and watch here.
Get Hired
Usually I include job postings only with “First Monday” editions of the LER at the start of the month, but I had a special request for this one from the American Bar Association. Here’s the opportunity:
Lead Senior Counsel, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility – Flexible or hybrid work arrangements may be available for residents of CA, DC, IL, IN, IA, MD, MI, MN, TX, VA, and WI. From the posting: “Serves as primary legal counsel and provides legal policy guidance to ABA entities and exercises department management duties within Division. Serves as national legal expert in the field of legal and judicial ethics and professional responsibility law. Provides expertise to ABA governance, ABA entities, state, local, national and international legal community. Develops controlling legal policy and substantive legal resources to ensure and enhance the Association’s continued status as the preeminent leader and legal authority in professional responsibility law.” Learn more and apply here.
Did you miss the 350+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all here, including another opportunity at the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility — Associate Counsel.
Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements
Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all here.
Keep in Touch
News tips? Announcements? Events? A job to post? Reading recommendations? Email legalethics@substack.com – but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won’t be delivered.
Renee Knake Jefferson holds the endowed Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics and is a Professor of Law at the University of Houston. Check out more of her writing at the Legal Ethics Roundup. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at @reneeknake or Bluesky at legalethics.bsky.social.
The post Legal Ethics Roundup: Federal Alaska Judge Disbarred, Detainees’ Rights To Talk To Lawyers, The Ethics Of ‘AI Slop’ In Court Pleadings & More appeared first on Above the Law.
Ed. note: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup, here.
Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.
Happy Monday!
Here are your headlines.
Highlights from Last Week – Top Ten Headlines
#1 “Vigilante Lawyers Expose the Rising Tide of A.I. Slop in Court Filings.” From the New York Times: “Mr. Freund is part of a growing network of lawyers who track down A.I. abuses committed by their peers, collecting the most egregious examples and posting them online. The group hopes that by tracking down the A.I. slop, it can help draw attention to the problem and put an end to it. … ‘These cases are damaging the reputation of the bar,’ said Stephen Gillers, an ethics professor at New York University School of Law. ‘Lawyers everywhere should be ashamed of what members of their profession are doing.’ … The problem, though, keeps getting worse. That’s why Damien Charlotin, a lawyer and researcher in France, started an online database in April to track it.” Read more here (gift link).
#2 “Law Firm Ownership Could Be Opened to Non-Lawyers in Tennessee.” From Bloomberg Law: “Tennessee is looking at non-lawyer ownership of law firms, a possibility that would create rare access to the profession for investors and corporations. The state Supreme Court, which says it is worried about an insufficient supply of legal services, is taking comments on whether it should loosen ownership rules. The goal is ‘to ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable quality legal services,’ the court said in an order last month. If a change moves forward, the state will join Arizona and Utah in liberalizing rules to let a broad array of new players put money into firms. A range of participants—KPMG, Fortress Investment Group, Rocket Lawyer, and LegalZoom—have jumped into the fray in those states and proponents see similar possibilities in Tennessee.” Read more here.
#3 “Dems’ Bill Would Give DHS Detainees Right To Talk To Atty.” From Law360: “Democratic lawmakers unveiled a bill Friday that would guarantee immigrant detainees the right to contact their families and speak to legal counsel in custody, amid the Trump administration’s push to ramp up major enforcement efforts that have led to arrests of people while dropping off children at school or grocery shopping. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., are leading the charge with the backing of 58 U.S. Senate and House of Representatives lawmakers in their introduction of the bicameral legislation, ‘Restoring Access to Detainees Act,’ which would ensure that noncitizen detainees are provided limited, free telephone services to speak with their legal counsel and stay in contact with their families.” Read more here.
#4 “Lawmakers Seek Investigation of Judges Who Criticized Supreme Court.” From the New York Times: “The Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees appealed to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Wednesday to look into whether federal judges who responded to a New York Times questionnaire with criticism of the Supreme Court had violated their ethics obligations. … The letter comes weeks after The Times published an article in which dozens of federal judges accused the Supreme Court of mishandling its emergency docket, complaining that its orders were too brief, opaque and vague for the lower courts to follow — particularly in the many cases where the justices issued emergency orders, but offered no reasoning for their decision.” Read more here (gift link).
#5 “Ex-NJ Lawyer Disciplined For Sharing Fees With Non-Attys.” From Law360: “The New Jersey Supreme Court has handed down a deferred two-year suspension to a retired attorney for improperly sharing more than $650,000 in fees with nonattorneys over several years after he had been censured for similar misconduct.” Read more here.
#6 “Brad Karp Heckled at Gala as He Defends Paul Weiss Pro Bono.” From Bloomberg Law: “Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp defended the firm’s pro bono work in the wake of its deal with President Donald Trump, as he was heckled and protested at a bar association event. In a nearly 30-minute speech Friday night at the New York Bar Foundation gala honoring Paul Weiss partner Loretta Lynch, Karp listed the firm’s past and present pro bono work for liberal causes.” Read more here.
#7 “Federal Judge Accused of Misconduct Disbarred by Alaska Supreme Court.” From Alaska’s News Source: “The Alaska Supreme Court has ordered former federal judge Joshua Kindred to be disbarred from the practice of law in Alaska. Kindred is the first ever judge to be disbarred in Alaska. This comes after investigators found that Kindred had a ‘sexualized relationship’ with a clerk who became a prosecutor and lied about it to a senior judge and investigators and maintained a hostile workplace for law clerks. He resigned in 2024.” Read more here.
#8 “US Attorneys Beware: Acting Outside Ethical Boundaries May Cause Irreparable Damage.” From The Law Journal Editorial Board: “It is disappointing to read that federal judges across the country have expressed displeasure with representations and arguments of lawyers from what was the previously highly regarded United States Department of Justice. Judges have become skeptical and critical of their arguments, despite the historical presumption that they act in good faith and with a ‘presumption of regularity.’ According to U.S. Senior District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia (himself a former assistant United States attorney and assistant to the solicitor general of the United States), federal ‘courts have seen instance after instance of departure from this tradition.’” Read more here.
#9 “Too Sick to Practice? Ethics Rules Still Apply to Attorneys.” From the Daily Journal: “As flu season sets in, even the most tireless lawyer must recognize when illness demands a pause — because ethical duties don’t take sick days.” Read more here.
#10 “UH Law Center Panel Explores Ways Lawyers Can Be Effective and Ethical Leaders, Advisors.” From the University of Houston: “Lawyers play pivotal roles across the wide spectrum of American centers of power – from the White House to local governments, from corporate boardrooms to nonprofit organizations. A recent online webinar hosted by the University of Houston Law Center, ‘Lawyers Who Lead: Ethics, Influence, and Impact,’ examined the significant influence lawyers can hold and how to exercise it responsibly.” Read more and watch here.
Get Hired
Usually I include job postings only with “First Monday” editions of the LER at the start of the month, but I had a special request for this one from the American Bar Association. Here’s the opportunity:
Lead Senior Counsel, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility – Flexible or hybrid work arrangements may be available for residents of CA, DC, IL, IN, IA, MD, MI, MN, TX, VA, and WI. From the posting: “Serves as primary legal counsel and provides legal policy guidance to ABA entities and exercises department management duties within Division. Serves as national legal expert in the field of legal and judicial ethics and professional responsibility law. Provides expertise to ABA governance, ABA entities, state, local, national and international legal community. Develops controlling legal policy and substantive legal resources to ensure and enhance the Association’s continued status as the preeminent leader and legal authority in professional responsibility law.” Learn more and apply here.
Did you miss the 350+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all here, including another opportunity at the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility — Associate Counsel.
Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements
Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all here.
Keep in Touch
News tips? Announcements? Events? A job to post? Reading recommendations? Email legalethics@substack.com – but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won’t be delivered.
Renee Knake Jefferson holds the endowed Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics and is a Professor of Law at the University of Houston. Check out more of her writing at the Legal Ethics Roundup. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at @reneeknake or Bluesky at legalethics.bsky.social.
The post Legal Ethics Roundup: Federal Alaska Judge Disbarred, Detainees’ Rights To Talk To Lawyers, The Ethics Of ‘AI Slop’ In Court Pleadings & More appeared first on Above the Law.
