{"id":152902,"date":"2026-05-26T10:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/05\/26\/legal-ethics-roundup-3m-sanction-ethics-training-for-misleading-court-broadview-six-tossed-on-prosecutor-malfeasance-more\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:09:08","slug":"legal-ethics-roundup-3m-sanction-ethics-training-for-misleading-court-broadview-six-tossed-on-prosecutor-malfeasance-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/05\/26\/legal-ethics-roundup-3m-sanction-ethics-training-for-misleading-court-broadview-six-tossed-on-prosecutor-malfeasance-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal Ethics Roundup: $3M Sanction + Ethics Training For Misleading Court, Broadview Six Tossed On Prosecutor Malfeasance & 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 Tuesday!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve just returned from a week in Washington DC for the American Law Institute (ALI) Annual Meeting. Highlights included a tour of the\u00a0Old Supreme Court Chamber<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and celebrating my husband\u00a0Wallace B. Jefferson\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0installation as the new ALI President. (Read more about that\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and catch a bit of a speech he delivered\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Old Supreme Court Chamber, U.S. Capitol Building (photo by Renee Jefferson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most\u00a0images<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of the Old Supreme Court Chamber, used from 1810-1860, don\u2019t include this view, which is what the justices would\u2019ve seen as they presided over the cases of the day. If you look closely, you\u2019ll find that Lady Justice does not wear her usual\u00a0blindfold<\/a><\/strong>. Instead, she\u2019s eyes-wide-open looking at the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

Now for our headlines.<\/p>\n

Highlights from Last Week \u2013 Top 10 Headlines \ud83d\udcf0<\/h3>\n

#1 \u201cAmerica\u2019s Toxic Divide Reaches the Jury Room.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The Wall Street Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTrial lawyers and jury consultants say an erosion of trust in the justice system, more rigid viewpoints and starker political divides have made pitched juror battles more common.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#2 \u201cLawyers Can Drop Uncooperative Clients, Within Limits, ABA Says.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLawyers can stop providing services or seek permission to do so if a client doesn\u2019t fulfill basic obligations in the attorney-client relationship, the American Bar Association said in a new ethics\u00a0opinion<\/a><\/strong>. This option, under Rule 1.16(b)(5), is most commonly invoked when a client repeatedly fails to pay for legal services, the ABA noted in its Wednesday opinion. However, the rule can also be applied to clients who refuse to cooperate with their attorney, provide or update their contact information, or comply with other terms of an engagement agreement, the ABA said.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#3 \u201cThe DOJ Just Admitted to Weaponizing a Prosecution Against Trump\u2019s Foes.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Slate:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cA federal court\u00a0threw out<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0all charges against the Broadview Six\u2014a group of protesters accused of obstructing a Chicago ICE facility\u2014during a heated hearing on Thursday at which Justice Department officials apologized for egregious misconduct in securing the indictments.\u00a0U.S. District Judge April Perry<\/strong>\u00a0excoriated prosecutors for using illegal tactics to get the criminal charges past a skeptical grand jury,\u00a0dressing down<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros<\/strong>\u00a0and his colleagues for their \u2018incredibly shock[ing]\u2019 malfeasance.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4 \u201cLegal Experts Say Rule of Law Has Hit its Lowest Point in a Decade.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0UCLA Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe rule of law in the United States has deteriorated to its lowest level in at least a decade, according to the first joint survey of federal judges, elite lawyers, and law professors by Bright Line Watch and UCLA School of Law\u2019s Safeguarding Democracy Project. \u2026 The research team surveyed three types of legal experts: 21 Article III federal judges, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate based on Article III of the U.S. Constitution; 113 elite lawyers; and 193 law professors at the top 50 law schools based on 2025 U.S. News rankings. The team also surveyed 652 political scientists and a nationally representative sample of 2,750 Americans.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#5 \u201cBiglaw Insider Trading Isn\u2019t As Crazy As It Might Seem.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0David Lat\u2019s Original Jurisdiction:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cPsychological and social factors\u2014plus plain old greed\u2014might explain why seemingly successful lawyers allegedly engaged in criminal conduct.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#6 \u201cJustice Dept. Sets Up $1.8 Billion Fund That Could Funnel Money to Trump Allies.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Trump administration announced on Monday the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were targeted by the Biden Justice Department and Democrats, forging a pipeline to funnel taxpayer money to President Trump\u2019s allies.\u00a0The highly unusual fund<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was denounced by critics as a slush fund and as a brazen misuse of a once-independent Justice Department to carry out the president\u2019s personal and political agendas.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#7 \u201cTop Treasury Lawyer Resigns After Creation of \u2018Anti-Weaponization\u2019 Fund.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cBrian Morrissey<\/strong>, the department\u2019s general counsel, stepped down hours after the Trump administration announced the $1.8 billion fund.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(gift link).<\/p>\n

#8 \u201cNervous System Regulation for Ethical Law Practice and Improved Overall Well-Being.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0Michigan Bar Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIf one were to search \u2018hot topics in lawyer well-being\u2019 or \u2018lawyer wellness trends for 2026,\u2019 right up there with cold plunging, high protein or plant-based diets, and the use of AI in mental health support would be nervous system regulation \u2014 in particular\u00a0vagus nerve stimulation<\/em>. This article will aim to help those in a high-pressure profession like law understand why vagus nerve stimulation is gaining such widespread attention and popularity, supporting greater regulation of the nervous system, ethical law practice, and improved overall well-being.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>. [Side note: I\u2019m a big fan of Pulsetto for vagus nerve stimulation \u2013\u00a0<\/a>check it out<\/a><\/strong>.]<\/p>\n

#9 \u201cJudge Sanctions Law Firm Quinn Emanuel, Citing Ethical Lapses.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Reuters:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cU.S. law firm Quinn Emanuel was ordered on Tuesday to fund ethics training and pay sanctions after \u200ba federal judge said a group of its lawyers misled the court about evidence \u2026 .\u00a0U.S. District Judge Edward Chen<\/strong>\u00a0in San Francisco\u00a0said the law firm<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0must design an eight-hour internal ethics training program for the attorneys involved and pay a nearly $3 million sanction that \u200ba court-appointed official recommended in January. Five lawyers at the firm will individually pay a portion of \u200bthe sanction totaling tens of thousands of dollars.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10 \u201cChief Judge Moore Commissions Bizarre AI Cartoon About The Federal Circuit Without Judge Newman.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Josh Blackman<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0The Volokh Conspiracy:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cGiven the standard applied to\u00a0Judge Newman<\/strong>, this colossal error in judgment by\u00a0Chief Judge Moore<\/strong>\u00a0should warrant some sort of cognitive evaluation. How could she possibly think this was a good idea\u2013so good to hire a PR firm to publicize it?\u201d Read more (and watch the cartoon video)\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Get Hired \ud83d\udcbc<\/h3>\n

Did you miss the 500+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Upcoming Ethics Events & Other Announcements \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f<\/h3>\n

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

\n

Keep in Touch \ud83d\udcdd<\/h3>\n

Do you have colleagues who care about legal ethics?<\/strong>\u00a0Please share the Roundup with them. I\u2019d love to see our community continue to grow!<\/p>\n

News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email legalethics@substack.com \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: $3M Sanction + Ethics Training For Misleading Court, Broadview Six Tossed On Prosecutor Malfeasance & More<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

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

I\u2019ve just returned from a week in Washington DC for the American Law Institute (ALI) Annual Meeting. Highlights included a tour of the\u00a0Old Supreme Court Chamber<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and celebrating my husband\u00a0Wallace B. Jefferson\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0installation as the new ALI President. (Read more about that\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and catch a bit of a speech he delivered\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Old Supreme Court Chamber, U.S. Capitol Building (photo by Renee Jefferson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most\u00a0images<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of the Old Supreme Court Chamber, used from 1810-1860, don\u2019t include this view, which is what the justices would\u2019ve seen as they presided over the cases of the day. If you look closely, you\u2019ll find that Lady Justice does not wear her usual\u00a0blindfold<\/a><\/strong>. Instead, she\u2019s eyes-wide-open looking at the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

Now for our headlines.<\/p>\n

#1 \u201cAmerica\u2019s Toxic Divide Reaches the Jury Room.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0The Wall Street Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTrial lawyers and jury consultants say an erosion of trust in the justice system, more rigid viewpoints and starker political divides have made pitched juror battles more common.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#2 \u201cLawyers Can Drop Uncooperative Clients, Within Limits, ABA Says.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0Bloomberg Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLawyers can stop providing services or seek permission to do so if a client doesn\u2019t fulfill basic obligations in the attorney-client relationship, the American Bar Association said in a new ethics\u00a0opinion<\/a><\/strong>. This option, under Rule 1.16(b)(5), is most commonly invoked when a client repeatedly fails to pay for legal services, the ABA noted in its Wednesday opinion. However, the rule can also be applied to clients who refuse to cooperate with their attorney, provide or update their contact information, or comply with other terms of an engagement agreement, the ABA said.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#3 \u201cThe DOJ Just Admitted to Weaponizing a Prosecution Against Trump\u2019s Foes.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Slate:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cA federal court\u00a0threw out<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0all charges against the Broadview Six\u2014a group of protesters accused of obstructing a Chicago ICE facility\u2014during a heated hearing on Thursday at which Justice Department officials apologized for egregious misconduct in securing the indictments.\u00a0U.S. District Judge April Perry<\/strong>\u00a0excoriated prosecutors for using illegal tactics to get the criminal charges past a skeptical grand jury,\u00a0dressing down<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros<\/strong>\u00a0and his colleagues for their \u2018incredibly shock[ing]\u2019 malfeasance.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#4 \u201cLegal Experts Say Rule of Law Has Hit its Lowest Point in a Decade.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0UCLA Law:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe rule of law in the United States has deteriorated to its lowest level in at least a decade, according to the first joint survey of federal judges, elite lawyers, and law professors by Bright Line Watch and UCLA School of Law\u2019s Safeguarding Democracy Project. \u2026 The research team surveyed three types of legal experts: 21 Article III federal judges, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate based on Article III of the U.S. Constitution; 113 elite lawyers; and 193 law professors at the top 50 law schools based on 2025 U.S. News rankings. The team also surveyed 652 political scientists and a nationally representative sample of 2,750 Americans.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#5 \u201cBiglaw Insider Trading Isn\u2019t As Crazy As It Might Seem.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0David Lat\u2019s Original Jurisdiction:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cPsychological and social factors\u2014plus plain old greed\u2014might explain why seemingly successful lawyers allegedly engaged in criminal conduct.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#6 \u201cJustice Dept. Sets Up $1.8 Billion Fund That Could Funnel Money to Trump Allies.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Trump administration announced on Monday the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were targeted by the Biden Justice Department and Democrats, forging a pipeline to funnel taxpayer money to President Trump\u2019s allies.\u00a0The highly unusual fund<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was denounced by critics as a slush fund and as a brazen misuse of a once-independent Justice Department to carry out the president\u2019s personal and political agendas.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(gift link).<\/p>\n

#7 \u201cTop Treasury Lawyer Resigns After Creation of \u2018Anti-Weaponization\u2019 Fund.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0New York Times:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cBrian Morrissey<\/strong>, the department\u2019s general counsel, stepped down hours after the Trump administration announced the $1.8 billion fund.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(gift link).<\/p>\n

#8 \u201cNervous System Regulation for Ethical Law Practice and Improved Overall Well-Being.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From the\u00a0Michigan Bar Journal:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIf one were to search \u2018hot topics in lawyer well-being\u2019 or \u2018lawyer wellness trends for 2026,\u2019 right up there with cold plunging, high protein or plant-based diets, and the use of AI in mental health support would be nervous system regulation \u2014 in particular\u00a0vagus nerve stimulation<\/em>. This article will aim to help those in a high-pressure profession like law understand why vagus nerve stimulation is gaining such widespread attention and popularity, supporting greater regulation of the nervous system, ethical law practice, and improved overall well-being.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>. [Side note: I\u2019m a big fan of Pulsetto for vagus nerve stimulation \u2013check it out<\/a><\/strong>.]<\/p>\n

#9 \u201cJudge Sanctions Law Firm Quinn Emanuel, Citing Ethical Lapses.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Reuters:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cU.S. law firm Quinn Emanuel was ordered on Tuesday to fund ethics training and pay sanctions after \u200ba federal judge said a group of its lawyers misled the court about evidence \u2026 .\u00a0U.S. District Judge Edward Chen<\/strong>\u00a0in San Francisco\u00a0said the law firm<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0must design an eight-hour internal ethics training program for the attorneys involved and pay a nearly $3 million sanction that \u200ba court-appointed official recommended in January. Five lawyers at the firm will individually pay a portion of \u200bthe sanction totaling tens of thousands of dollars.\u201d Read more\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#10 \u201cChief Judge Moore Commissions Bizarre AI Cartoon About The Federal Circuit Without Judge Newman.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>From\u00a0Josh Blackman<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0The Volokh Conspiracy:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cGiven the standard applied to\u00a0Judge Newman<\/strong>, this colossal error in judgment by\u00a0Chief Judge Moore<\/strong>\u00a0should warrant some sort of cognitive evaluation. How could she possibly think this was a good idea\u2013so good to hire a PR firm to publicize it?\u201d Read more (and watch the cartoon video)\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Did you miss the 500+ job postings from previous weeks? Find them all\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

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

\n

Do you have colleagues who care about legal ethics?<\/strong>\u00a0Please share the Roundup with them. I\u2019d love to see our community continue to grow!<\/p>\n

News tips? Announcements? Events?<\/strong>\u00a0A job to post?<\/strong>\u00a0Reading recommendations?<\/strong>\u00a0Email [email\u00a0protected]<\/a> \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","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 Tuesday! I\u2019ve just returned from a week in Washington DC for the American Law Institute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":152903,"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-152902","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\/2026\/05\/iStock-484137638-scaled-0mO14X.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152902","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=152902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}