As reported by Above the Law and the Legal Profession Blog, a Colorado lawyer received a 60-day suspension, stayed if he successfully completes a two-year probationary period, for posing as a judge and a former deputy district attorney in blog comments submitted to a moderator. The stipulated decision (and I suppose I should include
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When Bad News Can't Wait
I’ve spent the last day-plus at another engaging Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL) conference, and just like last year at this same conference, and just like when I was on vacation last year, I got some big news from the courts. Some of this exciting and completely ill-timed news has been good.…
Georgia On My Mind
Hi, everyone. At long last, some original (if not exactly breaking) content. But I’ve gotten enough questions to pivot from my other busyness and try to answer (even though the answer keeps changing as I write this)—what the hell is going on in Atlanta?(No, not this Atlanta matter.)Earlier this week, Brian Steel, a defense…
That Time I Turned An Earworm Into A Column
At risk of this blog turning into a Wisconsin Lawyer repository (as original-to-the-bog content has been…well, mostly missing), I present for your consideration “Ethics Song ‘89,” my latest contribution to the State Bar journal.
When “Revocation” isn’t Revocation
Hi, everyone. It’s been a minute. It may be another minute, or several, before I write again, or it could be tomorrow. (Remember when I launched this blog in 2019 and I thought I would be writing weekly or more and then a few months later everything went sideways? Good times.) I write to revisit…
You Can Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate Your Old Stuff All You Want
My latest column, “The Story of Stuff,” is out in the latest Wisconsin Lawyer magazine. It’s a little less snarky than usual, but I still got to reference George Carlin, mainframe punch cards, and the entropy-in-action that is my desk. (My own office rarely gets to the level of the free stock photo…
“@MindYour8Point4CsandQs” is Available, But Should I Use It?
Last week, CNN reported that Wisconsin native and fake elector lawyer Ken Chesebro not only had an anonymous Twitter/X account, “@BadgerPundit,” but denied its existence to Michigan investigators. The account was actually created back when then-Governor Scott Walker dropped the Act 10 bomb, incidentally right around the same time I created my own, very much…
Going Once, Going Twice: Legal Services Donations to Charity Auctions and Raffles
My high school alumni association’s social media page alerted me to an online auction and raffle supporting “under-resourced students and families n our community.” I decided to check out the auction items—most of them are the usual restaurant and attraction gift certificates. The raffle included a prime parking spot for a rising senior and several…
When Dumb Scams Happen To Smart People
There was much buzz today about an article in the Cut (a lifestyle website from Vox Media/New York Magazine) – “The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It To A Stranger.” Charlotte Cowles, the Cut’s financial advice columnist, discussed in embarrassing detail how she fell victim to what she termed a…
When You're a Hammer, Everything is a Nail; When You're an Ethics Nerd Everything Is A Material Limitation Conflict
Hi, folks,It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?Sorry to say, it’s going to be awhile yet, as things are busy here.In the meantime, my January column for the Wisconsin Lawyer is out; this time, I discuss all those little conflicts life deals.