Legal Ethics

OED Investigates TM Attys Who File Altered Or Fake Specimens: The China Syndrome

Leave a Comment / Communications, Competence, Legal Ethics, Office of Enrollment and Discipline, Trademark ethics / By

What does the Chinese government’s decision to pay its citizens to apply for and register trademarks with the USPTO have to do with IP attorney ethics?   Plenty, as it turns out. As recently reported by the American Bar Association, see article doctored-trademark-specimen, the USPTO is experiencing “a plague of fake, doctored and digitally altered specimens” […]

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Leaving South Tahoe: Will Your Advance Conflict Waiver Survive Sheppard Mullin v. J-M Manufacturing?

Leave a Comment / Advanced Waivers, Conflicts of Interest, Fee Dispute, IP Ethics, Legal Ethics / By

On Friday, August 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court ruled that a blanket advanced conflict waiver signed by two current clients, which purported to authorize lawyers from Sheppard Mullin to accept an unrelated representation of one client adverse to another, was void against public policy because the firm failed to obtain informed consent.  Even though

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ABA Approves Changes To Attorney Advertising Ethics Rules

1 Comment / ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Advertising, Legal Ethics, Social Media Ethics, Solicitation / By

The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates approved on Monday an overhaul to its ethics rules governing attorney advertising and solicitation.  The ABA vote on Monday capped a four-year effort to modernize ethics rules promulgated in the 1980s–long before the Internet forever changed how lawyers market their services and communicate with prospective clients. The ABA’s

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Ethical Considerations for Young Lawyers

Leave a Comment / ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, IP Ethics CLE, Legal Ethics / By

Many situations arise in the work place where young lawyers find themselves facing real ethical dilemmas. For example, your supervisor has asked you to do something that you believe may violate the Rules of Professional Conduct.   Or you become aware that another lawyer has engaged in conduct already that may be unethical.  Or a close

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Untying The IP Ethics Knot

Leave a Comment / Continuing Legal Education, IP Ethics, Legal Ethics, Litigation Ethics, Malpractice / By

Do you worry about ethics in your IP practice?  If not, you should.  There is way too much going on out there, and not knowing what is happening can leave you exposed to ethics and malpractice risk. If you can spare 90 minutes, tune in tomorrow from 1:00-2:30 pm EST for the ABA-IPL Landslide Webinar Series,

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What Can Johnny Manziel Teach Lawyers About Ethics? (Plenty)

1 Comment / Alcoholism, Legal Ethics, Moral turpitide / By

Part 1 of a 3-Part Series Ex-Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been in the news a lot lately. And none of it has been good. The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2014 first round NFL draft pick was “much watch” sports TV for his prowess on the gridiron. His professional career, which began with such

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10th Annual Patent Law Institute CLE Program From PLI

Leave a Comment / Continuing Legal Education, Legal Ethics / By

On May 5-6, 2016, Practicing Law Institute (PLI) will be conducting its 10th Annual Patent Law Institute.  The Institute will be held in San Francisco and also will be broadcast life via webcast. Registration is available at the following link. According to PLI, The Institute is designed to be of ultimate practice value to all

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Anonymous, Inc.: Lawyers, Ethics And Money Laundering Featured On 60 Minutes

1 Comment / Confidentiality, Legal Ethics / By

For those of you who are not convinced about the importance of legal ethics in modern society, I urge you to watch yesterday’s broadcast of the story entitled Anonymous, Inc., which was shown on CBS’s 60 Minutes. The venerable weekly news program used a fake client representative, wired with a hidden camera and a false story,

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