{"id":136611,"date":"2025-11-10T11:23:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T19:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/11\/10\/legal-ethics-roundup-federal-alaska-judge-disbarred-detainees-rights-to-talk-to-lawyers-the-ethics-of-ai-slop-in-court-pleadings-more\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:23:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T19:23:04","slug":"legal-ethics-roundup-federal-alaska-judge-disbarred-detainees-rights-to-talk-to-lawyers-the-ethics-of-ai-slop-in-court-pleadings-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/11\/10\/legal-ethics-roundup-federal-alaska-judge-disbarred-detainees-rights-to-talk-to-lawyers-the-ethics-of-ai-slop-in-court-pleadings-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal Ethics Roundup: Federal Alaska Judge Disbarred, Detainees\u2019 Rights To Talk To Lawyers, The Ethics Of \u2018AI Slop\u2019 In Court Pleadings & More\u00a0"},"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!<\/p>\n

Here are your headlines.<\/p>\n

Highlights from Last Week\u00a0\u2013 Top Ten Headlines<\/h3>\n

#1 \u201cVigilante Lawyers Expose the Rising Tide of A.I. Slop in Court Filings.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMr. Freund<\/strong>\u00a0is 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. \u2026 \u2018These cases are damaging the reputation of the bar,\u2019 said\u00a0Stephen Gillers<\/strong>, an ethics professor at New York University School of Law. \u2018Lawyers everywhere should be ashamed of what members of their profession are doing.\u2019 \u2026 The problem, though, keeps getting worse. That\u2019s why\u00a0Damien Charlotin<\/strong>, a lawyer and researcher in France, started\u00a0an\u00a0<\/a>online database<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in April to track it.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#2 \u201cLaw Firm Ownership Could Be Opened to Non-Lawyers in Tennessee.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTennessee 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 \u2018to ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable quality legal services,\u2019 the court said\u00a0in an order<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0last 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\u2014KPMG, Fortress Investment Group, Rocket Lawyer, and LegalZoom\u2014have jumped into the fray in those states and proponents see similar possibilities in Tennessee.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#3 \u201cDems\u2019 Bill Would Give DHS Detainees Right To Talk To Atty.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Law360:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cDemocratic 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\u2019s push to ramp up major enforcement efforts that have led to arrests of people while dropping off children at school or grocery shopping.\u00a0U.S. Senator Chris Murphy<\/strong>, D-Conn., and\u00a0U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter<\/strong>, 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, \u2018Restoring Access to Detainees Act,\u2019 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.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4 \u201cLawmakers Seek Investigation of Judges Who Criticized Supreme Court.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees appealed to\u00a0Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.<\/strong>\u00a0on 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. \u2026 The letter comes weeks after The Times\u00a0published an article<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in 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 \u2014 particularly in the many cases where the justices issued emergency orders, but offered no reasoning for their decision.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(gift link).<\/p>\n

#5 \u201cEx-NJ Lawyer Disciplined For Sharing Fees With Non-Attys.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Law360:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe 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.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#6 \u201cBrad Karp Heckled at Gala as He Defends Paul Weiss Pro Bono.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cPaul Weiss chairman Brad Karp defended the firm\u2019s pro bono work in the wake of its deal with\u00a0President Donald Trump<\/strong>, 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\u00a0Loretta Lynch<\/strong>, Karp listed the firm\u2019s past and present pro bono work for liberal causes.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#7 \u201cFederal Judge Accused of Misconduct Disbarred by Alaska Supreme Court.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Alaska\u2019s News Source:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Alaska Supreme Court has ordered former federal judge\u00a0Joshua Kindred<\/strong>\u00a0to 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 \u2018sexualized relationship\u2019 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.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#8 \u201cUS Attorneys Beware: Acting Outside Ethical Boundaries May Cause Irreparable Damage.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The Law Journal Editorial Board:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIt 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 \u2018presumption of regularity.\u2019 According to U.S. Senior District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia<\/strong>\u00a0(himself a former assistant United States attorney and assistant to the solicitor general of the United States), federal \u2018courts have seen instance after instance of departure from this tradition.\u2019\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#9 \u201cToo Sick to Practice? Ethics Rules Still Apply to Attorneys.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0Daily Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cAs flu season sets in, even the most tireless lawyer must recognize when illness demands a pause \u2014 because ethical duties don\u2019t take sick days.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10 \u201cUH Law Center Panel Explores Ways Lawyers Can Be Effective and Ethical Leaders, Advisors.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0University of Houston:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLawyers play pivotal roles across the wide spectrum of American centers of power \u2013 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, \u2018Lawyers Who Lead: Ethics, Influence, and Impact,\u2019 examined the significant influence lawyers can hold and how to exercise it responsibly.\u201d Read more and watch\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n
\n

Get Hired<\/h3>\n

Usually I include job postings only with\u00a0\u201cFirst Monday\u201d editions<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of the LER at the start of the month, but I had a special request for this one from the American Bar Association. Here\u2019s the opportunity:<\/p>\n

Lead Senior Counsel, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility \u2013 Flexible or hybrid work arrangements may be available for residents of CA, DC, IL, IN, IA, MD, MI, MN, TX, VA, and WI.<\/strong>\u00a0From the posting: \u201cServes 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\u2019s continued status as the preeminent leader and legal authority in professional responsibility law.\u201d Learn more and apply\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Did you miss the 350+ job postings from previous weeks?<\/strong>\u00a0Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>, including\u00a0another opportunity\u00a0<\/strong>at the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility \u2014 Associate Counsel.<\/p>\n

\n

Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements<\/h3>\n

Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Keep in Touch<\/h3>\n

News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email\u00a0legalethics@substack.com\u00a0\u2013 but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n

\n

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\u00a0Legal Ethics Roundup<\/a>. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0@reneeknake<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky at\u00a0legalethics.bsky.social<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Legal Ethics Roundup: Federal Alaska Judge Disbarred, Detainees\u2019 Rights To Talk To Lawyers, The Ethics Of \u2018AI Slop\u2019 In Court Pleadings & More\u00a0<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n

Here are your headlines.<\/p>\n

Highlights from Last Week\u00a0\u2013 Top Ten Headlines<\/h3>\n

#1 \u201cVigilante Lawyers Expose the Rising Tide of A.I. Slop in Court Filings.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMr. Freund<\/strong>\u00a0is 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. \u2026 \u2018These cases are damaging the reputation of the bar,\u2019 said\u00a0Stephen Gillers<\/strong>, an ethics professor at New York University School of Law. \u2018Lawyers everywhere should be ashamed of what members of their profession are doing.\u2019 \u2026 The problem, though, keeps getting worse. That\u2019s why\u00a0Damien Charlotin<\/strong>, a lawyer and researcher in France, started\u00a0an\u00a0<\/a>online database<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in April to track it.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#2 \u201cLaw Firm Ownership Could Be Opened to Non-Lawyers in Tennessee.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTennessee 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 \u2018to ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable quality legal services,\u2019 the court said\u00a0in an order<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0last 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\u2014KPMG, Fortress Investment Group, Rocket Lawyer, and LegalZoom\u2014have jumped into the fray in those states and proponents see similar possibilities in Tennessee.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#3 \u201cDems\u2019 Bill Would Give DHS Detainees Right To Talk To Atty.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Law360:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cDemocratic 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\u2019s push to ramp up major enforcement efforts that have led to arrests of people while dropping off children at school or grocery shopping.\u00a0U.S. Senator Chris Murphy<\/strong>, D-Conn., and\u00a0U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter<\/strong>, 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, \u2018Restoring Access to Detainees Act,\u2019 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.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4 \u201cLawmakers Seek Investigation of Judges Who Criticized Supreme Court.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees appealed to\u00a0Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.<\/strong>\u00a0on 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. \u2026 The letter comes weeks after The Times\u00a0published an article<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in 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 \u2014 particularly in the many cases where the justices issued emergency orders, but offered no reasoning for their decision.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(gift link).<\/p>\n

#5 \u201cEx-NJ Lawyer Disciplined For Sharing Fees With Non-Attys.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Law360:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe 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.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#6 \u201cBrad Karp Heckled at Gala as He Defends Paul Weiss Pro Bono.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cPaul Weiss chairman Brad Karp defended the firm\u2019s pro bono work in the wake of its deal with\u00a0President Donald Trump<\/strong>, 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\u00a0Loretta Lynch<\/strong>, Karp listed the firm\u2019s past and present pro bono work for liberal causes.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#7 \u201cFederal Judge Accused of Misconduct Disbarred by Alaska Supreme Court.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Alaska\u2019s News Source:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Alaska Supreme Court has ordered former federal judge\u00a0Joshua Kindred<\/strong>\u00a0to 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 \u2018sexualized relationship\u2019 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.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#8 \u201cUS Attorneys Beware: Acting Outside Ethical Boundaries May Cause Irreparable Damage.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The Law Journal Editorial Board:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIt 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 \u2018presumption of regularity.\u2019 According to U.S. Senior District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia<\/strong>\u00a0(himself a former assistant United States attorney and assistant to the solicitor general of the United States), federal \u2018courts have seen instance after instance of departure from this tradition.\u2019\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#9 \u201cToo Sick to Practice? Ethics Rules Still Apply to Attorneys.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0Daily Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cAs flu season sets in, even the most tireless lawyer must recognize when illness demands a pause \u2014 because ethical duties don\u2019t take sick days.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10 \u201cUH Law Center Panel Explores Ways Lawyers Can Be Effective and Ethical Leaders, Advisors.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0University of Houston:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLawyers play pivotal roles across the wide spectrum of American centers of power \u2013 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, \u2018Lawyers Who Lead: Ethics, Influence, and Impact,\u2019 examined the significant influence lawyers can hold and how to exercise it responsibly.\u201d Read more and watch\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n
\n

Get Hired<\/h3>\n

Usually I include job postings only with\u00a0\u201cFirst Monday\u201d editions<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of the LER at the start of the month, but I had a special request for this one from the American Bar Association. Here\u2019s the opportunity:<\/p>\n

Lead Senior Counsel, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility \u2013 Flexible or hybrid work arrangements may be available for residents of CA, DC, IL, IN, IA, MD, MI, MN, TX, VA, and WI.<\/strong>\u00a0From the posting: \u201cServes 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\u2019s continued status as the preeminent leader and legal authority in professional responsibility law.\u201d Learn more and apply\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Did you miss the 350+ job postings from previous weeks?<\/strong>\u00a0Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>, including\u00a0another opportunity\u00a0<\/strong>at the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility \u2014 Associate Counsel.<\/p>\n

\n

Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements<\/h3>\n

Did you miss an announcement from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Keep in Touch<\/h3>\n

News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email\u00a0legalethics@substack.com\u00a0\u2013 but be sure to subscribe first, otherwise the email won\u2019t be delivered.<\/p>\n

\n

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\u00a0Legal Ethics Roundup<\/a>. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) at\u00a0@reneeknake<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky at\u00a0legalethics.bsky.social<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Legal Ethics Roundup: Federal Alaska Judge Disbarred, Detainees\u2019 Rights To Talk To Lawyers, The Ethics Of \u2018AI Slop\u2019 In Court Pleadings & More\u00a0<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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! Here are your headlines. Highlights from Last Week\u00a0\u2013 Top Ten Headlines #1 \u201cVigilante Lawyers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"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-136611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136611","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=136611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136611\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}