{"id":127468,"date":"2025-07-21T07:02:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T15:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/07\/21\/legal-ethics-roundup-ex-doj-ethics-lawyer-speaks-out-associate-fired-for-trump-critique-judge-visas-stripped-ai-snitch-rule-more\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T07:02:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T15:02:32","slug":"legal-ethics-roundup-ex-doj-ethics-lawyer-speaks-out-associate-fired-for-trump-critique-judge-visas-stripped-ai-snitch-rule-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/07\/21\/legal-ethics-roundup-ex-doj-ethics-lawyer-speaks-out-associate-fired-for-trump-critique-judge-visas-stripped-ai-snitch-rule-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal Ethics Roundup: Ex-DOJ Ethics Lawyer Speaks Out, Associate Fired for Trump Critique, Judge Visas Stripped, AI & \u2018Snitch\u2019 Rule & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,\u00a0<\/strong>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Monday!<\/h3>\n

Hello from Madison, where we\u2019ve been visiting the University of Wisconsin as part of my daughter\u2019s college campus tours. (So far, we\u2019ve hit the University of Texas and next month we head to the University of Chicago. It\u2019s making me want to go back to college myself!)<\/p>\n

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Lake Mendota, University of Wisconsin (photo by Renee Jefferson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was another week packed with legal ethics headlines, so your list below includes fifteen again. But first, I want to highlight a special employment opportunity. (Usually I only include\u00a0<\/a>job listings<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0monthly in the\u00a0LER First Monday<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0edition.) Last week,\u00a0Lucy Ricca<\/strong>\u00a0shared with me that she\u2019s accepted a new position as the Executive Director of Neukom Center for the Rule of Law, which means her job as the\u00a0Executive Director, Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession, Stanford Law School<\/strong>\u00a0is open. This is a terrific opportunity \u2014 learn more and apply\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Highlights from Last Week \u2013 Top\u00a0Ten<\/s>\u00a0Fifteen Headlines<\/h3>\n

#1<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cFunding Crisis Leaves Defense Lawyers Working Without Pay.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0US Courts.gov<\/strong>: \u201cThe program that pays court-appointed private attorneys to represent indigent federal criminal defendants has run out of money, starting the clock on a painful three-month delay in paying these attorneys and their related service providers for constitutionally mandated legal work. The funding crisis has prompted concern throughout the federal Judiciary that many of these private lawyers, known as panel attorneys, could decline new cases. That could leave defendants, even those on death row, without adequate representation.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#2<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cDOJ\u2019s Ex-Ethics Lawyer Speaks Out After Being Fired by Pam Bondi.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Newsweek<\/strong>: \u201cAttorney General Pam Bondi<\/strong>\u00a0has dismissed the Justice Department\u2019s top ethics lawyer,\u00a0Joseph Tirrell<\/strong>, according to a post he shared on LinkedIn. Tirrell, a Navy veteran, posted a copy of his termination letter on the platform Friday, noting that it resembled notices received by other DOJ employees. The letter included a typo, misspelling his name as \u2018JOSPEH.\u2019 \u2018Until Friday evening, I was the senior ethics attorney at the Department of Justice responsible for advising the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General directly on federal employee ethics,\u2019 he wrote, in part, on LinkedIn. \u2018I was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ethics program across the Department. I led a small, dedicated team of professionals and coordinated the work of some 30 other full-time ethics officials, attorneys, paralegals and other specialists across the Department of Justice, ensuring that the 117,000 Department employees were properly advised on and supported in how to follow the Federal employee ethics rules.\u2019\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#3<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cLegal Group Urges State Supreme Court to Order Florida Bar to Investigate Bondi.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From the\u00a0Miami Herald<\/strong>: \u201cSnubbed by The Florida Bar last month, about 70 liberal-leaning scholars, attorneys and former judges have asked the state Supreme Court to order the Bar to investigate their complaint claiming\u00a0U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/strong>\u00a0violated Florida\u2019s ethics rules as the nation\u2019s top law enforcement official. The coalition\u2019s legal argument in a petition filed on Tuesday may be compelling, but it\u2019s a long shot given the fact that the seven justices on Florida\u2019s high court were all appointed by\u00a0Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/strong>\u00a0and former\u00a0GOP Gov. Charlie Crist<\/strong>.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cRubio Moves to Strip US Visas From Eight Brazilian Judges in Bolsonaro Battle.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0The Guardian<\/strong>: \u201cThe US secretary of state,\u00a0Marco Rubio<\/strong>, has reportedly stripped eight of Brazil\u2019s 11 supreme court judges of their US visas as the White House escalates its campaign to help the country\u2019s former president\u00a0Jair Bolsonaro<\/strong>\u00a0avoid justice over his alleged attempt to seize power with a military coup. Bolsonaro, a far-right populist with ties to\u00a0Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0Maga movement, is on trial for allegedly masterminding a murderous plot to cling to power after losing the 2022 election to his leftwing rival,\u00a0Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva<\/strong>. Bolsonaro is expected to be convicted by the supreme court in the coming weeks and faces a jail sentence of up to 43 years.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#5<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cDavis Polk Axes Associate Over Writings Criticizing Trump.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Bloomberg Law<\/strong>: \u201cWall Street\u2019s Davis Polk & Wardwell fired a junior attorney following warnings over his op-eds knocking the Trump administration, according to the lawyer.\u00a0Ryan Powers<\/strong>, a former Davis Polk associate, says the firm\u00a0fired<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0him June 12. His profile was removed from the site immediately, Powers said in an interview. The Harvard Law graduate joined the firm\u2019s tax group October 2023 and worked on deals for Cintas Corp. and Penske Truck Leasing. Powers\u2019 op-eds included critical takes on the federal government\u2019s surveillance of the public, which highlighted Palantir Technologies. Davis Polk lawyers advised banks involved in Palantir\u2019s 2020 stock listing. A firm human resources representative notified Powers that his content violated the firm\u2019s internal policy because he was not granted prior permission, he said.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>. (For even more,\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is a Substack post from Powers about his firing.)<\/p>\n

#6<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cFla. Judge Suspended Over \u2018Unacceptable\u2019 Political Donations.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Law360<\/strong>: \u201cA Florida state court judge [was] found to have violated judicial canons by donating funds to the election campaigns of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and improperly discussing her own reelection campaign.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#7<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cUnearthed Chat Sheds Light on Cozy Ties Between Judges, Climate Activists, Raising Ethical Concerns.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Fox News<\/strong>: \u201cAn environmental advocacy group accused of trying to manipulate judges organized a years-long, nationwide online forum with jurists to promote favorable info and litigation updates regarding climate issues \u2013 until the email-styled group chat was abruptly made private, Fox News Digital found.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#8<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cSen. Coons Asking About Workplace Conduct in Nominees\u2019 Questions for the Record.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Fix the Court<\/strong>: \u201cJudicial nomination hearings are often rapid-fire events where members of the Senate Judiciary Committee barely have enough time to get out a complete thought, let alone ask a comprehensive line of questioning. Luckily, there are two additional parts to the nomination process: first, a Senate Judiciary Questionnaire that all nominees must fill out prior to their hearing; and second, any senator on the Committee can send Questions for the Record to the nominee after their hearing, with the expectation that they\u2019ll be answered (albeit not always in a satisfactory manner). There\u2019s been a positive development on the latter front:\u00a0Sen. Chris Coons\u00a0<\/strong>is asking questions about workplace conduct in the QFRs. This comes as a series of news reports, court filings, national surveys and misconduct orders this year show that the endemic problems of harassment, retaliation and discrimination in the third branch aren\u2019t going away.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#9<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cAI Misuse and the \u2018Snitch Rule\u2019 in Legal Ethics.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From the\u00a0Daily Journal \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Cal Lawyer<\/strong>: \u201cAttorneys increasingly use AI tools in their practice, but misses of AI \u2014 such as submitting fabricated case citations \u2014 can trigger a reporting obligation under California Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3\u201d [And perhaps also under ABA Model Rule 8.4?] Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cMichigan Law Adds AI Essay Prompt.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Inside Higher Ed<\/strong>: \u201cIn 2023, the University of Michigan Law School made headlines for its policy banning applicants from using generative AI to write their admissions essays. Now, two admissions cycles later, the law school is not only allowing AI responses but actually mandating the use of AI\u2014at least for\u00a0one optional essay<\/a><\/strong>. For those applying this fall, the law school added a supplemental essay prompt that asks students about their AI usage and how they see that changing in law school\u2014and requires them to use AI to develop their response.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#11<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cCalifornia Court System Adopts Rule on AI Use.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Reuters<\/strong>: \u201cCalifornia on Friday became the largest U.S. state court system to embrace policies governing the use of generative artificial intelligence by judges and court employees. California courts that do not ban generative AI outright must develop AI-related regulations by September 1 under a rule adopted by the California Judicial Council, the policy-making body for the state\u2019s court system. The\u00a0rule<\/a><\/strong>,<\/a>\u00a0was developed by an artificial intelligence task force established by\u00a0Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero<\/strong>\u00a0in 2024.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#12<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cTrump Admin\u2019s Supreme Court Lawyers Quit.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0Newsweek<\/strong>: \u201cNearly two-thirds of the U.S. Justice Department\u2019s unit responsible for defending key Trump administration policies in court, have left their positions since\u00a0President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0November election or announced plans to leave, according to a new list. Of the approximately 110 lawyers in the Federal Programs Branch, 69 have departed or signaled their intention to depart, according to the list.\u00a0Reuters<\/strong>, which first reported the list, said it had verified the departure of all but four. The resignations could pose significant challenges for the unit that is tasked with handling an unprecedented wave of lawsuits targeting the administration\u2019s actions, including restrictions on birthright citizenship and funding cuts to Harvard University.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#13<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cGeorgia Lawyers Consider Limited Role for Legal Assistance by Non-Attorneys.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Grice Connect<\/strong>: \u201cA committee appointed by the Georgia Supreme Court is recommending a pilot program that would allow individuals with specialized legal training to provide limited legal assistance, aiming to improve access to justice for low-income and rural Georgians.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#14 \u201cFederal Judges Set to Meet Monday, Maybe to Pick U.S. Attorney.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New Jersey Globe<\/strong>: \u201cA meeting of the U.S. District Court Judges from New Jersey has been set for Monday to possibly vote to appoint a U.S. Attorney, the New Jersey Globe has learned. The meeting takes place amid uncertainties surrounding the tenure of\u00a0U.S. Attorney Alina Habba<\/strong>, whose 120-day term is set to expire on Tuesday. Under an incredibly murky statute, federal judges, by a majority vote, may appoint a U.S. Attorney if no one has been nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. \u2026 Several sources with direct knowledge of the selection process, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have told the New Jersey Globe that Habba does not have enough support among the federal judges to win a vote.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#15 \u201cJoint Statement from CLEA and AALS Clinical Section on Congressional Attack on Academic Freedom.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0CleaWeb.org<\/strong>: \u201cAs experiential faculty members teaching and practicing law, we have duties beyond those as faculty members with academic freedom \u2014 we are representatives for our clients, officers of the court, and public citizens. Seeking to punish a lawyer for their ethical and zealous representation and advocacy compromises these core responsibilities. This, in turn, threatens the viability of our legal system \u2014 a system critical to the preservation of our democracy.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Did you miss the 150+ job postings from previous Roundups? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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