{"id":135534,"date":"2025-10-20T14:49:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/10\/20\/legal-ethics-roundup-legal-ethics-on-60-minutes-fed-judges-warn-of-crisis-more-ai-fines-doj-ethics-probes-more\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T14:49:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:49:50","slug":"legal-ethics-roundup-legal-ethics-on-60-minutes-fed-judges-warn-of-crisis-more-ai-fines-doj-ethics-probes-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/10\/20\/legal-ethics-roundup-legal-ethics-on-60-minutes-fed-judges-warn-of-crisis-more-ai-fines-doj-ethics-probes-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal Ethics Roundup: Legal Ethics On 60 Minutes, Fed Judges Warn Of Crisis, More AI Fines, DOJ Ethics Probes &amp; More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><u>Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Happy Monday!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21CF25%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e550046-16e5-4df9-b448-c22aff11cd4c_1688x984.png?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21CF25%21%2Cw_1456%2Cc_limit%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e550046-16e5-4df9-b448-c22aff11cd4c_1688x984.png?w=1080&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot from 60 Minutes October 19, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Legal ethics issues were front and center on\u00a0<strong>CBS\u2019s 60 Minutes<\/strong>\u00a0last night. You can watch the interview of former Justice Department lawyer\u00a0<strong>Erez Reuveni<\/strong>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/video\/justice-department-erez-reuveni-60-minutes-video-2025-10-19\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>. From the episode description: \u201cReuveni speaks out about the disregard of due process and for the rule of law that he says he witnessed in his final weeks at the Department of Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now for your headlines.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights from Last Week\u00a0\u2013 Top Ten Ethics Headlines<\/h3>\n<p><strong>#1 \u201cAttacks on U.S. Legal Profession Reflect Global Slide in Countries It Once Aided.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Just Security:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cCrackdowns on the legal profession \u2014 lawyers, judges and prosecutors \u2014 are part of a longstanding authoritarian playbook used around the world to silence dissent. \u2026 The tactics differ, but the aim is the same: to silence lawyers who represent politically targeted clients, judges who issue rulings that contradict the repressive government\u2019s political \u2013 and often personal \u2014 aims, and prosecutors who pursue cases against its favored allies. Whether through formal legislation or informal pressure, these measures aim to curtail legal advocacy, judicial independence, and the rule of law itself. The United States has long prided itself on a tradition of public interest lawyering rooted in the civil rights movement and sustained through legal aid, legal clinics, and pro bono representation carried forward by lawyers. By framing access to justice as a professional duty, organizations such like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) institutionalized public interest advocacy. Yet, over time, these organizations have also been criticized for professionalizing and depoliticizing what began as grassroots social movements.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/122411\/attacks-on-u-s-legal-profession-global-slide\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#2 \u201cRegulatory Retrenchment in California: What AB 931 Means for ABS and MSO-Supported Law Firms.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>JD Supra:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201c<strong>California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/strong>\u00a0signed Assembly Bill (AB) 931 on Oct. 10, 2025, largely freezing California lawyers\u2019 ability to experiment with and accommodate the development of burgeoning Alternative Business Structures (ABS) for the next four years. Though jurisdictions such as Arizona, Puerto Rico and Utah have adopted innovative programs to permit limited non-lawyer ownership of law firms, the new law signals that California is skeptical and poised to move in the opposite direction.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jdsupra.com\/legalnews\/regulatory-retrenchment-in-california-2641977\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#3 \u201cLaw School Interest Hits New High, Applications Surge.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0<strong>National Jurist:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLaw school applications in the U.S. are surging, according to Oct. 16 data from the Law School Admission Council. The numbers show a 27.8% increase in total applications for the 2025 enrollment year compared to last year. The rise is even more pronounced over a two-year span, with applications up 76.2%.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nationaljurist.com\/law-school-interest-hits-new-high-applications-surge\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#4 \u201cReagan Judges Are Unrestrained Critics of Trump\u2019s Legal Moves.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cJudges appointed by\u00a0<strong>President Ronald Reagan<\/strong>\u00a0are emerging as vocal critics of the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to circumvent court orders or challenge the law in unprecedented ways, backed by decades of experience and plenty of practice being blunt in other cases. The judges\u2014all in their 80s and located in Washington, Boston, Seattle, and Charlottesville, Va.\u2014have made notable remarks from the bench or in written rulings. Some jurists are more guarded, speaking about the power of the courts and imploring the administration to respect them. Others see little reason to trust the administration at this stage.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bgov.com\/legal-ethics\/reagan-judges-are-unrestrained-critics-of-trumps-legal-moves\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#5 \u201cABA Says Third-Party Lawyer-Mediators Must Be \u2018Credibly Neutral\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Bloomberg Law\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLawyers acting as third-party neutral mediators need to be careful to ensure that unrepresented parties in negotiations understand the nature and scope of their role, the\u00a0<strong>American Bar Association<\/strong>\u00a0says in a new ethics opinion. Lawyer-mediators must explain the difference between their role as a neutral and a lawyer\u2019s more typical role representing a client, especially when a party is unrepresented and doesn\u2019t understand the mediation process, says the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/content\/dam\/aba\/administrative\/professional_responsibility\/ethics-opinions\/aba-formal-opinion-518.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">opinion<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0released Wednesday.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/litigation\/aba-says-third-party-lawyer-mediators-must-be-credibly-neutral\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#6 \u201cFederal Judges, Warning of \u2018Judicial Crisis,\u2019 Fault Supreme Court\u2019s Emergency Orders.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>The New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMore than three dozen federal judges have told The New York Times that the Supreme Court\u2019s flurry of brief, opaque emergency orders in cases related to the Trump administration have left them confused about how to proceed in those matters and are hurting the judiciary\u2019s image with the public.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/11\/us\/politics\/judicial-crisis-supreme-court-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uE8.sacR.QzCVWKgxOOof&amp;smid=url-share\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(gift link).<\/p>\n<p><strong>#7 \u201cDOJ On Defense: Federal Lawyers Face Ethics Probes For \u2018Zealous\u2019 Advocacy.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0<strong>Tampa Free Press:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cA political battle is raging in the halls of justice, not in the courtroom, but within the state bar associations. A coalition of left-wing groups and law professors is aggressively filing ethics complaints against high-ranking government lawyers, including\u00a0<strong>US Attorney General Pam Bondi,<\/strong>\u00a0alleging professional misconduct for \u2018zealously\u2019 advocating for the interests of the United States and the president. The controversy highlights a growing trend of \u2018lawfare\u2019 where ethics complaints are being used as a political weapon, primarily targeting conservative attorneys serving in or defending the administration.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/doj-on-defense-federal-lawyers-face-ethics-probes-for-zealous-advocacy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/doj-on-defense-federal-lawyers-face-ethics-probes-for-zealous-advocacy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>#8 \u201cFake AI Citations Produce Fines for California, Alabama Lawyers.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0<strong>Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cFederal courts in California and Alabama have imposed thousands of dollars in fines against two attorneys sanctioned separately for including nonexistent legal citations generated by artificial intelligence in their filings.The sanctions address a wave of AI hallucinations in litigation that\u2019s growing despite training offered by bar associations, legal journal articles, and extensive media coverage of lawyers punished by courts for relying too much on the technology. In recent months, fake citations in federal court filings have resulted in $3,000 in fines for a New Jersey attorney, $1,500 in fines for a California attorney, and a warning for a New York attorney. \u2018Somehow the message still has not been hammered home as the epidemic of citing fake cases continues unabated,\u2019 J<strong>udge Terry F. Moorer of the US District Court for the Southern District of Alabama<\/strong>\u00a0said in an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberglaw.com\/public\/document\/UnitedStatesvMcGeeNoCRIMACTNO124cr112TFM2025BL3653692025UsDistLex?doc_id=X1E3GCNU0000N\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">order<\/a>\u00a0issued Oct. 10.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/legal-ethics\/fake-ai-citations-produce-fines-for-california-alabama-lawyers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#9 \u201cState Supreme Court Rejects Attempt to Force Florida Bar to Investigate Bondi.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Florida Phoenix:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Florida Supreme Court refused Monday to force the Florida Bar to investigate\u00a0<strong>U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/strong>\u00a0for alleged state ethics violations, denying a request made by dozens of attorneys and former judges. The court\u2019s five-sentence\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/acis-api.flcourts.gov\/courts\/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13\/cms\/case\/0fff4d5e-f891-4e97-b7b1-906c750fdc9d\/docketentrydocuments\/b86f3125-3776-4450-bcea-47f1b4969ee9\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rejection<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0sided with the Florida Bar \u2014 the overseer of the state\u2019s legal profession \u2014 and state\u00a0<strong>Attorney General James Uthmeier<\/strong>\u00a0in finding that the 70-odd legal experts lacked standing to ask a state-level organization to investigate federal officials, even if they\u2019re certified to practice law in Florida. \u2018Because petitioner has failed to show a clear legal right to the relief requested, he is not entitled to mandamus relief,\u2019 the brief denial reads, co-signed by five of the seven Florida Supreme Court Justices.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/floridaphoenix.com\/2025\/10\/14\/state-supreme-court-rejects-attempt-to-force-florida-bar-to-investigate-bondi\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#10 \u201cQ&amp;A: South Texas College of Law Dean Rey Valencia on SCOTX\u2019s Tentative Move Away from ABA Oversight and Other Changes Facing Law School Leaders.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Texas Law Book:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThis interview on Sept. 30 took place four days after the Texas Supreme Court issued an order stating its \u2018tentative opinion\u2019 that the American Bar Association should no longer decide which Texas schools can send graduates to sit for the state bar exam. \u2026 Even before taking the helm at STCL,\u00a0<strong>[Rey] Valencia<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 who was named STCL\u2019s incoming president in January \u2014 joined seven other law school deans who, in a June letter to the justices, urged the state\u2019s high court to continue the ABA\u2019s role. In the following Q&amp;A, Valencia discusses his response to SCOTX\u2019s order, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing law schools as they adapt to new technologies, meeting students\u2019 needs and the evolving practice of law.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/texaslawbook.net\/qa-south-texas-college-of-law-dean-rey-valencia-on-scotxs-tentative-move-away-from-aba-oversight-and-other-changes-facing-law-school-leaders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get Hired<\/h3>\n<p>Did you miss the 350+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/p\/ethics-jobs-get-hired\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upcoming Ethics Events &amp; Other Announcements<\/h3>\n<p>Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/p\/announcementsevents\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep in Touch<\/h3>\n<p><strong>News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email\u00a0legalethics@substack.com\u00a0\u2013 but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<p><strong><em>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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Legal Ethics Roundup<\/a>. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/reneeknake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@reneeknake<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/legalethics.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">legalethics.bsky.social<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/10\/legal-ethics-roundup-legal-ethics-on-60-minutes-fed-judges-warn-of-crisis-more-ai-fines-doj-ethics-probes-more\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Legal Ethics Roundup: Legal Ethics On 60 Minutes, Fed Judges Warn Of Crisis, More AI Fines, DOJ Ethics Probes &amp; More<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-single__featured-image post-single__featured-image--medium alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/03\/iStock-484137638-300x200.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p><em><u>Ed. note<\/u>: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,<a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Happy Monday!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21CF25%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e550046-16e5-4df9-b448-c22aff11cd4c_1688x984.png?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21CF25%21%2Cw_1456%2Cc_limit%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e550046-16e5-4df9-b448-c22aff11cd4c_1688x984.png?w=1080&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot from 60 Minutes October 19, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Legal ethics issues were front and center on\u00a0<strong>CBS\u2019s 60 Minutes<\/strong>\u00a0last night. You can watch the interview of former Justice Department lawyer\u00a0<strong>Erez Reuveni<\/strong>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/video\/justice-department-erez-reuveni-60-minutes-video-2025-10-19\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>. From the episode description: \u201cReuveni speaks out about the disregard of due process and for the rule of law that he says he witnessed in his final weeks at the Department of Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now for your headlines.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><strong>#1 \u201cAttacks on U.S. Legal Profession Reflect Global Slide in Countries It Once Aided.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Just Security:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cCrackdowns on the legal profession \u2014 lawyers, judges and prosecutors \u2014 are part of a longstanding authoritarian playbook used around the world to silence dissent. \u2026 The tactics differ, but the aim is the same: to silence lawyers who represent politically targeted clients, judges who issue rulings that contradict the repressive government\u2019s political \u2013 and often personal \u2014 aims, and prosecutors who pursue cases against its favored allies. Whether through formal legislation or informal pressure, these measures aim to curtail legal advocacy, judicial independence, and the rule of law itself. The United States has long prided itself on a tradition of public interest lawyering rooted in the civil rights movement and sustained through legal aid, legal clinics, and pro bono representation carried forward by lawyers. By framing access to justice as a professional duty, organizations such like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) institutionalized public interest advocacy. Yet, over time, these organizations have also been criticized for professionalizing and depoliticizing what began as grassroots social movements.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/122411\/attacks-on-u-s-legal-profession-global-slide\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#2 \u201cRegulatory Retrenchment in California: What AB 931 Means for ABS and MSO-Supported Law Firms.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>JD Supra:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201c<strong>California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/strong>\u00a0signed Assembly Bill (AB) 931 on Oct. 10, 2025, largely freezing California lawyers\u2019 ability to experiment with and accommodate the development of burgeoning Alternative Business Structures (ABS) for the next four years. Though jurisdictions such as Arizona, Puerto Rico and Utah have adopted innovative programs to permit limited non-lawyer ownership of law firms, the new law signals that California is skeptical and poised to move in the opposite direction.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jdsupra.com\/legalnews\/regulatory-retrenchment-in-california-2641977\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#3 \u201cLaw School Interest Hits New High, Applications Surge.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0<strong>National Jurist:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLaw school applications in the U.S. are surging, according to Oct. 16 data from the Law School Admission Council. The numbers show a 27.8% increase in total applications for the 2025 enrollment year compared to last year. The rise is even more pronounced over a two-year span, with applications up 76.2%.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nationaljurist.com\/law-school-interest-hits-new-high-applications-surge\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#4 \u201cReagan Judges Are Unrestrained Critics of Trump\u2019s Legal Moves.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cJudges appointed by\u00a0<strong>President Ronald Reagan<\/strong>\u00a0are emerging as vocal critics of the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to circumvent court orders or challenge the law in unprecedented ways, backed by decades of experience and plenty of practice being blunt in other cases. The judges\u2014all in their 80s and located in Washington, Boston, Seattle, and Charlottesville, Va.\u2014have made notable remarks from the bench or in written rulings. Some jurists are more guarded, speaking about the power of the courts and imploring the administration to respect them. Others see little reason to trust the administration at this stage.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bgov.com\/legal-ethics\/reagan-judges-are-unrestrained-critics-of-trumps-legal-moves\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#5 \u201cABA Says Third-Party Lawyer-Mediators Must Be \u2018Credibly Neutral\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Bloomberg Law\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLawyers acting as third-party neutral mediators need to be careful to ensure that unrepresented parties in negotiations understand the nature and scope of their role, the\u00a0<strong>American Bar Association<\/strong>\u00a0says in a new ethics opinion. Lawyer-mediators must explain the difference between their role as a neutral and a lawyer\u2019s more typical role representing a client, especially when a party is unrepresented and doesn\u2019t understand the mediation process, says the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/content\/dam\/aba\/administrative\/professional_responsibility\/ethics-opinions\/aba-formal-opinion-518.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">opinion<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0released Wednesday.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/litigation\/aba-says-third-party-lawyer-mediators-must-be-credibly-neutral\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#6 \u201cFederal Judges, Warning of \u2018Judicial Crisis,\u2019 Fault Supreme Court\u2019s Emergency Orders.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>The New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMore than three dozen federal judges have told The New York Times that the Supreme Court\u2019s flurry of brief, opaque emergency orders in cases related to the Trump administration have left them confused about how to proceed in those matters and are hurting the judiciary\u2019s image with the public.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/11\/us\/politics\/judicial-crisis-supreme-court-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uE8.sacR.QzCVWKgxOOof&amp;smid=url-share\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(gift link).<\/p>\n<p><strong>#7 \u201cDOJ On Defense: Federal Lawyers Face Ethics Probes For \u2018Zealous\u2019 Advocacy.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0<strong>Tampa Free Press:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cA political battle is raging in the halls of justice, not in the courtroom, but within the state bar associations. A coalition of left-wing groups and law professors is aggressively filing ethics complaints against high-ranking government lawyers, including\u00a0<strong>US Attorney General Pam Bondi,<\/strong>\u00a0alleging professional misconduct for \u2018zealously\u2019 advocating for the interests of the United States and the president. The controversy highlights a growing trend of \u2018lawfare\u2019 where ethics complaints are being used as a political weapon, primarily targeting conservative attorneys serving in or defending the administration.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/doj-on-defense-federal-lawyers-face-ethics-probes-for-zealous-advocacy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/doj-on-defense-federal-lawyers-face-ethics-probes-for-zealous-advocacy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>#8 \u201cFake AI Citations Produce Fines for California, Alabama Lawyers.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0From\u00a0<strong>Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cFederal courts in California and Alabama have imposed thousands of dollars in fines against two attorneys sanctioned separately for including nonexistent legal citations generated by artificial intelligence in their filings.The sanctions address a wave of AI hallucinations in litigation that\u2019s growing despite training offered by bar associations, legal journal articles, and extensive media coverage of lawyers punished by courts for relying too much on the technology. In recent months, fake citations in federal court filings have resulted in $3,000 in fines for a New Jersey attorney, $1,500 in fines for a California attorney, and a warning for a New York attorney. \u2018Somehow the message still has not been hammered home as the epidemic of citing fake cases continues unabated,\u2019 J<strong>udge Terry F. Moorer of the US District Court for the Southern District of Alabama<\/strong>\u00a0said in an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberglaw.com\/public\/document\/UnitedStatesvMcGeeNoCRIMACTNO124cr112TFM2025BL3653692025UsDistLex?doc_id=X1E3GCNU0000N\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">order<\/a>\u00a0issued Oct. 10.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/legal-ethics\/fake-ai-citations-produce-fines-for-california-alabama-lawyers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#9 \u201cState Supreme Court Rejects Attempt to Force Florida Bar to Investigate Bondi.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Florida Phoenix:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Florida Supreme Court refused Monday to force the Florida Bar to investigate\u00a0<strong>U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/strong>\u00a0for alleged state ethics violations, denying a request made by dozens of attorneys and former judges. The court\u2019s five-sentence\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/acis-api.flcourts.gov\/courts\/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13\/cms\/case\/0fff4d5e-f891-4e97-b7b1-906c750fdc9d\/docketentrydocuments\/b86f3125-3776-4450-bcea-47f1b4969ee9\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rejection<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0sided with the Florida Bar \u2014 the overseer of the state\u2019s legal profession \u2014 and state\u00a0<strong>Attorney General James Uthmeier<\/strong>\u00a0in finding that the 70-odd legal experts lacked standing to ask a state-level organization to investigate federal officials, even if they\u2019re certified to practice law in Florida. \u2018Because petitioner has failed to show a clear legal right to the relief requested, he is not entitled to mandamus relief,\u2019 the brief denial reads, co-signed by five of the seven Florida Supreme Court Justices.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/floridaphoenix.com\/2025\/10\/14\/state-supreme-court-rejects-attempt-to-force-florida-bar-to-investigate-bondi\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#10 \u201cQ&amp;A: South Texas College of Law Dean Rey Valencia on SCOTX\u2019s Tentative Move Away from ABA Oversight and Other Changes Facing Law School Leaders.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0<strong>Texas Law Book:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThis interview on Sept. 30 took place four days after the Texas Supreme Court issued an order stating its \u2018tentative opinion\u2019 that the American Bar Association should no longer decide which Texas schools can send graduates to sit for the state bar exam. \u2026 Even before taking the helm at STCL,\u00a0<strong>[Rey] Valencia<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 who was named STCL\u2019s incoming president in January \u2014 joined seven other law school deans who, in a June letter to the justices, urged the state\u2019s high court to continue the ABA\u2019s role. In the following Q&amp;A, Valencia discusses his response to SCOTX\u2019s order, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing law schools as they adapt to new technologies, meeting students\u2019 needs and the evolving practice of law.\u201d Read more\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/texaslawbook.net\/qa-south-texas-college-of-law-dean-rey-valencia-on-scotxs-tentative-move-away-from-aba-oversight-and-other-changes-facing-law-school-leaders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p>Did you miss the 350+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/p\/ethics-jobs-get-hired\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p>Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/p\/announcementsevents\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><strong>News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection\" class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"8ee2ebe9efe2ebfae6e7edfdcefdfbecfdfaefede5a0ede1e3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><strong><em>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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/legalethics.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Legal Ethics Roundup<\/a>. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/reneeknake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@reneeknake<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/legalethics.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">legalethics.bsky.social<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ed. note: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup,\u00a0here. Welcome to what captivates, haunts, inspires, and surprises me every week in the world of legal ethics. Happy Monday! Screenshot from 60 Minutes October 19, 2025 Legal ethics issues were front and center [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":135535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2F1e550046-16e5-4df9-b448-c22aff11cd4c_1688x984-FwIMXF.jpg?fit=1456%2C849&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}