#LegalEthics Tidbit: If I tell #AI to shorten my brief but not to mess with the already-checked citations, do I still have to check the citations again? A CA lawyer representing a party in a business dispute used an unidentified “AI consultant” to prepare ... (cont.) lnkd.in/e6aVfeFE #Law #lawksy

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If your lawyer provides services but then loots your money, does he still deserve to get paid for the services or is that a separate issue? An ID couple hired an attorney for $4K to initiate and litigate bankruptcy proceedings. The ... (cont.) lnkd.in/e7Y3mxCG #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If my lawyer quits just before redirect of the last witness, have I been denied assistance of counsel? Parents have a right to counsel in CO dependency and neglect proceedings. A CO lawyer represented a mother up until just before... (cont.) #lawsky #law lnkd.in/eTiiSkcS

Happy #Caturday from Derry Girl, who is testing out the new snow. #cats #tortie #Catsofbluesky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I advise an unrepresented person that her testimony will not be perjury? An AZ/NY attorney represented a company suing two former employees for stealing customers. The former employees were mostly unrepresented in the case ... (cont.) lnkd.in/eGz45u3X #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics: Can a pro se party be criminally charged for generating deep fake #AI evidence for a civil case? A CA judge found that a pro se litigant fabricated evidence for summary judgment in a civil matter, including deep fakes... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #lawsky #Law

King's Chapel Burial Ground (Boston, 1630) covered in snow.

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can a judge order a pay raise for his favorite court staff? MN court reporters are members of a union and subject to a collective bargaining agreement that determines their salary based on experience. A judge wanted to get a raise for...(cont.) lnkd.in/ek3dc6ri #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If I use #AI to research by legal rights, are my chat logs protected by privilege or the work product doctrine? A man being investigated for securities fraud asked the Claude #ArtificialIntelligence platform to ...(cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #Law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: It took you HOW long to find those hallucinated citations? In a construction dispute in IN, plaintiffs accused defendants of “improper and misleading citations to the record and legal authority” generated by #AI and asked the Court for... (cont.) lnkd.in/e2ikkWd7 #lawsky #law

#LegaEthics Tidbit: Can my expert be disqualified if she spoke to the opposing party without counsel present? A group of CA prisoners brought a class action against their prisons over health conditions. Defense counsel facilitated an ... (cont.) law.justia.com/cases/federa... #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit #PresidentsDay Edition: Do I have to follow the ethics rules even if the President orders me to do something unethical? NYC Bar Ethics Opinion 2025-1 asks whether a government lawyer must conform to the rules of professional conduct...(cont.) www.nycbar.org/reports/form... #law

Happy #Caturday from Derry Girl, who is sitting on the lawn furniture to keep her feet dry and is really sick of the snow. #cats #tortie #catsofbluesky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: What’s the worst way for a pro se litigant to oppose an attorneys’ fee motion? A pro se litigant in FL was caught adding some “nonexistent and mischaracterized authority” to briefs, leading the Court ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit hashtag#ValentinesDay edition: Can a judge give obscene candy to court staff? A knucklehead CT judge forced the Committee on Judicial Ethics to spend its time considering the following important question: Is Judge A ethically required ... (cont.) lnkd.in/eAjS9Gnk #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit #AbrahamLincoln edition: Was Lincoln always a zealous advocate? Short answer: No, according to a NY bar article. Lincoln began his legal career in 1836, before the duty of zealous advocacy was codified and when ... (cont.) lnkd.in/gUgmvTWh #law #lincolnsbirthday #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I use Microsoft Copilot in a sealed juvenile matter? An AR lawyer acting as attorney ad litem in a sealed juvenile matter was going through some distracting personal issues, so to save time she did her legal ... (cont.) www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1078... #Law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I escape sanctions for #AI misuse by getting a doctor’s note? In a family dispute over ownership of an OR winery, a sibling on the plaintiff’s side left a voicemail taunting the defendant siblings: one of ...(cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I let Pay.gov make withdrawals from my trust account? A SC lawyer asked the bar for advice about an executive order stating that a federal agency was no longer able to accept paper checks from lawyer trust accounts in satisfaction ... (cont.) lnkd.in/euUhgSxp #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If my client reports me to bar counsel, do I have to withdraw? Not necessarily. Whether or not a conflict is created, and whether or not a lawyer should move to withdraw, depends on the nature of the allegations. For example, allegations of ... (cont.) lnkd.in/efG_mDAw #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: How bad do things have to get before my #AI misuse gets my client’s case dismissed? In an SDNY trademark litigation, a lawyer submitted a motion to dismiss peppered with false citations. Opposing counsel ... (cont.) #lawsky #Law storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Is it worse to misuse #AI or to plagiarize a brief from someone else who misused #AI? In a NY construction dispute, plaintiff moved to strike defendant's affirmative defenses. Defendant's counsel of course opposed but ... (cont.) www.linkedin.com/posts/davidk... #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If I download blank court forms and use them to settle a personal grudge, which rules have I violated? The EX of a TN/KY attorney obtained a restraining order against him. In retaliation, he downloaded a civil warrant form ... (cont.) lnkd.in/ekjFpXpP #lawsky #law

Harvard Art Museum

Happy #Caturday from Derry Girl, who is chewing on treats in the basement while it snows again. #Cats #CatsofBlueSky #tortie

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I escape sanctions for #AI hallucinations by accusing the Court of hallucinating its AI policy? A pro se debtor in CT Bankruptcy Court filed numerous papers generated by or with the assistance of ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can a prosecutor be disqualified based on an “appearance of impropriety” when there is no actual conflict? A District Attorney brought charges against certain defendants alleged to have attempted to illegally manipulate...(cont.) www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/u... #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I lure the opposing party to mediation in order to spy on them? A NV lawyer representing the defendant in a personal injury case agreed to mediation. However, she had no intention of settling – she agreed to mediate in order to ... (cont.) lnkd.in/e4nfkqSv #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I get sanctioned for #AI hallucinations in briefs that were drafted by co-counsel while I was on vacation? A bunch of TX patent lawyers admitted pro hac vice in KS submitted a brief section containing ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #law #lawsky

Glad I worked from home today. My corner store now has Cuban sandwiches and a kitten named Bodega Barbie! #cats #catsofbluesky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If I finally receive some of the discovery I wanted before the judge decides my pending motion to compel, do I have to update the court? A UT attorney filed a motion to compel truthfully representing that the pro se opposing party ... (cont.) lnkd.in/e8WgTx5S #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: When should pro se litigants lose their case for misusing #AI? A MO pro se plaintiff in an employment discrimination case made a series of filings with increasingly egregious false citations and quotations ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Darn, I was going to start an opening statement next month with “this job sucks, this system sucks, please find me in contempt”. Back to the drawing board, i guess.

WHOA

Should have said this earlier but mazel tov to Sumbul Siddiqui on her second (no, technically third?) term as Mayor of Cambridge. Glad to have you back at the helm. @mayorsiddiqui.bsky.social www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/...

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I cite fake cases to justify my sale of fake money? An IL lawyer marketed the LGBCoin (“Let’s Go Brandon”) cryptocurrency to consumers, encouraging them to “digitally voice their support for America” by ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #law #lawsky #AI

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I be my client’s lawyer, sister, witness and homeschool teacher in the same case? An AZ lawyer in a family court dispute over homeschooling was the Mother’s lawyer, sister and homeschool teacher. When Father told her by email one ... (cont.) lnkd.in/dyGTJbuY #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: A person who represents himself may have a fool for a client, but don't say that out loud. A CO pro se litigant in a consumer dispute with Tesla motors appealed to the CO Ct. of App. Tesla moved for appellate...(cont.) research.coloradojudicial.gov/en/vid/11035... #lawsky #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Can I assume the new law school graduate I just hired knows how to use #AI properly? A NY lawyer appearing in a PA court assigned a newly graduated law clerk to draft a motion to dismiss. The lawyer did not ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #law #lawsky

Despite the cold and snow, Derry still finds time every day to go sit on the back fence and taunt Lucy (photo courtesy of Lucy's person). #cats #tortie #catsofbluesky

Boston

Happy #Caturday from Derry Girl, who just after the storm jumped straight out the door into a snowbank at the first opportunity and then yelled for me to dig her a path back to the door (which I did). #Cats #Catsofbluesky #tortie

#LegalEthics Tidbit: What should my protective order say about #AI? Here’s another approved protective order provision for #AI, this time from the SDNY. Basically, it (1) affirms that the parties can use AI to review ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #law #lawsky

#LegalEthics Tidbit: Do I have to tell my client that I previously represented the guy he’s accused of murdering? A NJ defendant was convicted of murder. He later filed a motion for a new trial, in part on the grounds that his defense ... (cont.) www.njcourts.gov/system/files... #law #lawsky

Derry waited for the squirrels to clear the snow off the top of the fence and then like a jerk took their spot and stared up at them. #catsofbluesky #cats #tortie

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If the judge addresses a lawyer as opposing counsel, but the docket says he is no longer opposing counsel, who should I believe? A DC Court held a guardianship hearing for a ward with diminished capacity and the... (cont.) lnkd.in/esmMj3vG #law law.justia.com/cases/distri...

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If a Google #AI summary provides a link to a legitimate source, is that good enough or do I have to bother checking that source? A DC lawyer was drafting a brief in opposition to a motion to dismiss that “was littered ... (cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If I settle my client’s case without authority, do I have to pay the settlement amount? A IN law firm showed up unprepared for a court-ordered settlement conference, but ended up agreeing to a settlement amount, even though the ... (cont.) www.govinfo.gov/app/details/... #law

#LegalEthics Tidbit: If my co-counsel is not the sort of person to use #AI, do I still need to check the citations? An AZ lawyer in a CA litigation turned over brief drafting to co-counsel, who was normally meticulous & professional...(cont.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... #lawsky #law

I've been sent video from the end of the ICE raid at the Zipps on 32nd and Shea. It shows protesters -- on the sidewalk, impeding no one -- getting drive-by maced by an ICE agent from a truck as it rolls away down the road. Hard to see how such tactics are justifiable.