Ethical Billing: Charging For In-House Services
The San Diego County Bar Legal Ethics Committee published an Opinion in July of this year on what constitutes reasonable billing. Billing
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Suspended for Speech: Five Years for False Claims of Judicial Misconduct
Earlier this month, Don Bailey’s law license was suspended for five years. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the state’s highest court, issued the sanction recommended by the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board.
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Some Things Are Better Left Unposted: Even “Private” Facebook Postings Can Be Discoverable
In the case of Perrone v. Rose City HMA, LLC, a trial judge in Pennsylvania ordered the plaintiff in a personal injury suit to provide the defendants with access to her private Facebook page. Things
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Facebook Notifications Not Hearsay, May be Authenticated Through Testimony
According to a recent Mississippi Court of Appeals decision, a witness may properly authenticate an automatically-generated Facebook message through testimony alone. The Court further ruled that such messages may not be considered hearsay.
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Ohio Allows Text Message Solicitation; Will Prospective Clients Assume the Costs?
Can you solicit new clients via text message? A new opinion from the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline (“Board”) says “yes,” albeit with a number of caveats. Ohio
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New Jersey Rules Stand Up Comedy is Impermissible Judicial Pursuit
According to the New Jersey Supreme Court (“NJSC”), pursuing a career in stand-up comedy, reality television, and film, while simultaneously residing on the bench is incompatible with the State's Code of Judicial Conduct. Rules
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Florida Bar’s Social Media Guidelines Get Mixed Reviews
Social media plays a central role in today’s society, for both personal and public use. Social media can be a beneficial outlet for communication with clients and other lawyers, as it is meant to be quick and efficient. Florida
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When Coaching A Witness Goes Too Far…
A Rhode Island attorney, Gerard Donley, was sentenced to six years in prison in a case in which he was accused of participating in a conspiracy to bribe a witness so that he would not testify against Donley’s client. Coaching
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New Jersey Limits Use of Judicial Testimonials on Law Firm Websites: First Amendment Violation or Valid Disclosure Requirement?
Depending upon a state’s guidelines, attorneys may feature positive reviews from clients and colleagues on their firms’ websites; so why not share similarly glowing remarks from judges? As one New Jersey law firm learned, that is where an ethics committee may draw the line. judicial
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Yelp Bites Back: Website Sues Law Firm for Allegedly Posting Fake Reviews
On August 20, 2013, Yelp, Inc., an online consumer-review website, sued a San Diego-based law firm for allegedly posting false testimonials and reviews about itself on its Yelp page.
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