Are AI Chats Privileged? Landmark Federal Court Ruling on GenAI & Legal Protection
In what appears to be the first federal court ruling of its kind, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has held that a defendant’s written exchanges with a generative artificial intelligence platform are protected by neither the attorney-client privilege nor the work product doctrine. […]
NYSBA Ethics Opinion 1288: A Trust Cannot Hold Ownership of a Law Firm
Succession and estate planning for lawyers presents unique ethical challenges that do not arise in other professions. New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion 1288 (December 19, 2025) offers a timely reminder that even carefully structured estate plans must comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct—particularly those governing nonlawyer ownership and fee […]
Physical Office Requirements for New York Law Firms
Remote work for lawyers is commonplace these days. With the blessing of ABA Opinion 495 (Dec. 2020) and state ethics rules, it’s now routine for attorneys to practice virtually in jurisdictions where they’re licensed, without being physically located in them. In New York, however, remote practice is still governed by Judiciary Law § 470. Under […]
California’s Law Firm Registration and Renewal Process is Now Online
Effective September 1, 2025, the State Bar of California implemented a new online registration and renewal process for all law corporations and partnerships, and has stated that it will not accept paper submissions going forward. The State Bar now will require all law firms first to register for Agency Billing, their online portal for managing […]
Choosing Limited Liability for Your New York Law Firm
Limited liability is a smart choice for any law firm. It shields owners’ personal assets from the firm’s contractual debts and other liabilities and from liability for malpractice by other partners or owners in the firm. The forms of limited-liability entities available for law firms differ from state to state. In New York, a law […]
Can Lawyers Just Ignore AI?
Many law firms have begun using AI regularly in their practice, including in various software platforms that have quietly integrated AI functions. But to many lawyers, AI is a vast unknown technology that they don’t know much about, don’t understand, and don’t use or don’t want to use. Why not just ignore the changes AI […]
Be Warned: CA In-House Corporate Counsel Must Register With State Bar
Remote practice and multistate jurisdictional practice (MJP) have been hot topics highlighted by the pandemic. However, we cannot discuss these subjects without considering the unauthorized practice of law (UPL). UPL is not just an issue for non-lawyers. Unfortunately, under California’s (and most other states’) rules and laws, it is also a concern for lawyers who […]
California Disqualification Decision and Claims of “Unreasonable Delay”
A frequent tool in the defense arsenal of lawyers facing a disqualification motion is a claim that there was an “unreasonable delay” in bringing the motion. Some lawyers and clients tend to assume, incorrectly, that a moving party’s knowledge of a disqualifying conflict will be presumed if the movant was a party to a former […]