Brad Karp Ducks Out Of ‘Leadership In Uncertain Times’ Talk – See Also – Above the Law

Maybe
He’s
Just
Leading
By
Example?:
His
low
profile
might
have
something
to
do
with
the
Epstein
files.
Nothing
Says
ZZZ
Like
Contempt!:
At
least
one
DOJs
attorney
is
suffering
from
the
flood
the
zone
strategy.
Virginia
Bar,
You’re
Up
Next:
Will
they
discipline
Lindsey
Halligan?
Attacking
Their
Guns
Wasn’t
The
Brightest
Idea:
Jeanine
Pirro
got
some
swift
backlash.
Emily
Suski
Gets
Support
From
Law
Professors:
Stand
up
for
campus
free
speech!

Fired Arkansas Law Dean Gets Wave Of Support From Law Professors – Above the Law

In
what
has
to
be
one
of
the
most
ridiculous
reasons
to
get
a
job
offer
rescinded,
the
University
of
Arkansas

Fayetteville
reneged
on
Emily
Suski
position
as
the
school’s
next
dean
because
she
signed
off
on
an
amicus
brief
supporting
a
student’s
rights.
After
finding
out
that
she
signed
on
to
the
brief,
Arkansas
senator
Bart
Hester
Karen-ed
and
suggested
to
cut
the
school’s
funding
until
the
school
decided
that
they
were
better
off
continuing
their
year
job
candidate
hunt
rather
than
let
Suski
do
the
job.

Law
students
quickly
came
out
in
support

of
Suski
and
protested
the
school’s
cave-in
to
Hester
and
friends.
S

tudents
aren’t
the
only
ones
showing
support

law
professors
are
also
in
Suski’s
corner.

Law.com

has
coverage:

More
than
175
law
professors
from
across
the
country
signed
a
letter
sent
to
the
Arkansas
General
Assembly
and
Arkansas
Gov.
Sarah
Huckabee
Sanders
expressing
“profound
concern”
over
the
revocation
of
Emily
Suski’s
offer
to
become
dean
of
the
University
of
Arkansas
(Fayetteville)
School
of
Law.

“As
her
friends
and
colleagues,
we
are
of
course
disappointed
by
this
outcome,
for
her
sake,”
the
signatories
wrote
in
the
Feb.
1
letter,
which
was
obtained
by
Law.com.
But
more
importantly,
as
lawyers
and
law
professors,
we
are
deeply
disturbed
by
the
process
that
yielded
this
result,
and
its
consequences
for
academic
freedom
and
the
full
participation
of
academics
in
the
legal
process.”

The
threat
to
academic
freedom
is
a
serious
one.
There
are
manifold
things
a
professor
or
dean
could
say
that
go
against
state
doxa
or
otherwise
conform
with
the
law
that
shouldn’t
be
punishable
events
such
as:
adults
having
sex
with
15
year
olds
is
prima
facie
statutory
rape

no
matter
how
much
Megyn
Kelly
tries
to
minimize
it
,
that
immigrants

aren’t
the
population
you
should
focus
on

if
you
really
want
to
cut
down
on
crime,
or

simply
throwing
a
curse
word
at
the
president
.
If
the
attack
on
academic
freedom
continues,
it
is
only
a
matter
of
time
before
a
professor
gets
in
trouble
for
saying
ICE
should
be
abolished,
even
though
you
can
find

people
making
that
argument
for
years
.
Or
maybe
a
professor
will
be
fired
or
worse

after
the
government
makes
good
on
their
promise
that
you
can’t
call
them
gestapo

or
call
what’s
going
on
fascism
(even
though
one
leading
fascism
scholar
left
ages
ago
because
he
saw
the
writing
on
the
wall
).

If
law
professors,
protected
by
the
expectation
that
what
they
say
actually
has
research
behind
it
(and
occasionally
tenure)
aren’t
able
to
show
support
and
speak
freely,
it
will
chill
the
speech
of
students
who
have
even
less
protection.


Over
175
Law
Professors
Sign
Letter
to
Protest
Arkansas
Law
Deanship
Revocation

[Law.com]


Earlier
:

Law
Students
Protest
Culture
War
Dean
Firing



Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
 He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at 
[email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.

DOJ Lawyer Asks To Be Held In Contempt So She Can Sleep – Above the Law

The
situation
in
Minnesota
continues
to
prove
an
abject
nightmare.
The
Trump
administration

continues
to
ignore

and

flagrantly
undermine
judges
.
If
the
administration
put
half
as
much
effort
into
honoring
its
legal
obligations
as
it
places
into
attacking
judges
on
social
media,
perhaps
they
wouldn’t
be
staring
down
a
massive
staffing
crisis

a
crisis
they’re
trying
to
resolve
by

asking
people
on
Elon
Musk’s
pornification
site
to
sign
up
as
AUSAs
.

Hey,
they
built
ICE
by
indiscriminately
recruiting
people
who
failed
even
the
barest
of
entry
qualifications
and
then
refusing
to
train
them
to
follow
the
bare
minimum
of
rules
that
bound
federal
law
enforcement…
maybe
it
will
work
for
prosecutors!

In
the
meantime,
let’s
see
how
it’s
going
on
the
ground
over
at
DOJ.


So,
I
guess
they
haven’t
seen
a
flood
of
new
applications
based
on
Chad
Mizelle
asking
potential
prosecutors
to
slide
into
his
DMs.

It’s
early,
but
Julie
Le
now
takes
a
commanding
lead
in
the
race
for
quote
of
the
year.
“The
system
sucks,
this
job
sucks,”
she
told
Judge
Blackwell.
Given
the
multiple
recorded
incidents
of
DOJ
attorneys
lying
to
the
courts,
this
is
refreshing
candor.

Personally,
I
like
to
think
she
delivered
it
like

Scarface
quitting
his
job
in

Half-Baked
.

In
any
normal
setting,
she
would
likely
get
her
24
hours
of
sleep
starting
roughly
5
minutes
after
getting
back
to
the
office
and
learning
that
she’d
been
fired.
But
these
are
not
normal
times,
and
the
DOJ
may
need
to
hang
on
to
the
lawyer
even
if
she’s
willing
to
go
on
the
record
as
actively
hating
her
job.

This
is
what
“flooding
the
zone”
looks
like.
Trump’s
braintrust
long
thought
that
bombarding
the
system
with
abuses
would
overwhelm
the
guardrails.
What
they’re
finding
out
is
that
the
guardrails
hold
and
the
administration
itself
just
ends
up
squished.

For
her
sake,
hopefully
she
can
cut
ties
with
this
Justice
Department
on
her
own
terms
sooner
rather
than
later.


Earlier
:

DOJ
Begging
For
AUSAs
On
Twitter
Like
They’re
Putting
Together
A
Kickball
League




HeadshotJoe
Patrice
 is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer
.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky

if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search
.

Brad Karp Bails On Speaking Event In Wake Of Epstein File Revelations – Above the Law

(photo
by
Jamie
Watts
for
Big
Law
Business)

There’s
a
lot
of
recent
talk
about
Paul,
Weiss’s
chair
Brad
Karp

not
much
of
it
flattering
right
now.
The
Biglaw
partner’s
relationship
with
the
infamous
sexual
predator
Jeffrey
Epstein
has
been
in
the
news,
after
the
release
of
the
latest
tranche
of
government
files
related
to
the
late
Epstein.
We’ve known
for
a
while
 that
Karp

and
a
lot
of
rank
and
file
PW
attorneys

would
appear
in
the
Epstein
files.
The
firm
represents
Apollo
Global
Management
and
its
CEO
Leon
Black,
who
worked
extensively
with
Epstein.
Black
and
Epstein
had
a
fee
dispute,
and
Paul,
Weiss
was
involved
in
that
negotiation.

But
the
recent
doc
drop

paints
a
cozier
picture

of
the
relationship
between
Karp
and
Epstein
than
anticipated.
The
documents
show
Karp
fawning
over
social
engagements
with
Epstein;
asking
for
favors
on
behalf
of
his
son;
gossiping
about
Biglaw
leadership
changes;
and
editing
a
defense
of
Epstein’s plea
agreement
in
a
Florida
sex
abuse
and
trafficking
case.
This
is
something
Karp

regrets
,
but
perhaps
now
isn’t
the
time
for
Karp
to
be
out
in
front
of
a
crowd.


According
to

Bloomberg
Law,
Karp
is
no
longer
appearing
at
an
event
today
where
he
was
slated
to
discuss
“leadership
in
uncertain
times.”

Karp
was
a
promoted
speaker
at
the
Wall
Street
Journal’s
Invest
Live
two-day
conference
in
West
Palm
Beach,
Florida.
He
was
scheduled
to
discuss
how
he’s
guiding
clients
through
geopolitical
developments,
artificial-intelligence
transformation,
and
a
rapidly
evolving
US
political
landscape,
according
to
the
Journal’s
original
itinerary.
The
discussion
has
been
replaced
with
the
publication’s
reporting
and
outlook
on
the
Federal
Reserve. 

It
was
only
a
few
months
ago
that

Karp
was
heckled
at
the New
York
Bar
Foundation
gala
.
That
outburst
took
Karp

and
Paul,
Weiss

to
task
for

the
deal
struck

with
the
Trump
administration.
In
the
face
of
an
unconstitutional
executive
order
targeting
the
firm,

Paul,
Weiss
became
the
first
firm

to
seek
out Trump’s
seal
of
approval
with
a

pro
bono
payola
deal
,
that
is,
free
legal
services
on
behalf
of
conservative
clients
or
causes
in
order
to
avoid
Trumpian
retribution.

Perhaps
that
uncomfortable
experience
taught
Karp
discretion
is
the
better
part
of
valor
and
he’ll
be
keeping
a
low
profile
for
the
time
being.


Earlier:


Brad
Karp’s
Fawning
Epstein
Emails
Drags
Paul,
Weiss
Into
The
Fray


So
What
Does
Brad
Karp
Think
About
The
Latest
Epstein
File
Revelations?


Jeffrey
Epstein:
Biglaw
Career
Counselor?




Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast
,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer
.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email

her

with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter

@Kathryn1
 or
Mastodon

@[email protected].

AI And Expert Witnesses: Not Replacement, But A Strategic Imperative – Above the Law



Ed.
note
:
This
is
the
latest
in
the
article
series, Cybersecurity:
Tips
From
the
Trenches
, by
our
friends
at Sensei
Enterprises
,
a
boutique
provider
of
IT,
cybersecurity,
and
digital
forensics
services.

Lawyers
have
long
known
that
expert
testimony
can
make
or
break
a
case.
Whether
the
issue
concerns damages,
causation,
medical
matters,
engineering
analysis,
or
economic
modeling,
experts
provide
the
specialized
knowledge
courts
rely
on.
Artificial
intelligence (AI) has
now
entered
this
space,
not
as
a
replacement
for
experts
but
as
a
tool reshaping how
expert
testimony
is
analyzed,
prepared,
and
challenged.

To
be
clear,
no
AI
system
is
about
to
take
the
stand.
What
AI
can
do,
and
already
does,
is
change
the
mechanics
of
how
expert
evidence
is
reviewed
and
tested.
Used
thoughtfully,
AI
offers
real
strategic
advantages.
Used
carelessly,
it
can
undermine
credibility
and,
in
some
cases,
lead
to
the
exclusion
of
critical
testimony.

What
we
are
seeing
is
not
an
AI
takeover
of
expert
witnesses,
but
a supplemental model in
which lawyers
and
experts
use
AI
to
amplify
insight
and
scrutiny.


AI
as
a
Litigation
Multiplier

One
of
the
most
powerful
uses
of
AI
in
expert
work
is
large-scale
review.
Expert
reports,
deposition
transcripts,
prior
testimony,
data
tables,
and
technical
literature
can
now
be
analyzed
at
a
scale
no
human
team
could
reasonably
manage.
AI
tools
can
flag
internal
inconsistencies,
identify
conflicts
with
prior
opinions,
and
surface
alternative
explanations
that
might
otherwise
go
unnoticed.

This
changes
the
dynamic
in
the
war
room.
Instead
of
spending
countless
hours
on
review,
lawyers
can
focus
on
interpretation,
judgment,
and
strategy.
AI
does
all
the
heavy
lifting,
and lawyers
can
decide
what
matters.


Sharpening the
Edge
on Cross-Examination

AI
is
also
being
used
to
simulate
adversarial
questioning.
By
feeding
an
expert’s
report
and
prior
statements
into
a
model
configured
to
challenge
assumptions
and
probe
weaknesses,
lawyers
can pressure-test testimony
before
it
ever
reaches
the
courtroom.

This
does
not
replace
traditional
mock
examinations.
It
enhances
them.
Experts
can
refine
responses,
anticipate
lines
of
attack,
and
identify
weak
points
early.
On
the
flip
side,
lawyers
challenging
opposing
experts
can
use
AI
to
synthesize
prior
testimony
and technical
literature
into
focused
lines
of cross-examination that
expose
contradictions
or
unsupported
assumptions.


Translation,
Accessibility,
and
Persuasion

Expert
testimony
often
fails
not
because
it
is
wrong,
but
because
it
is
incomprehensible.
AI
can
help
translate
dense
technical
analysis
into
language that judges
and
juries
can understand.

Used
properly,
AI
can
help
recast
complex
engineering
conclusions
into
practical
explanations,
distill
economic
models
into
plain
language,
and
highlight
the
core
takeaways
without
distorting
substance.
This
is
not
about
dumbing
things
down.
It
is
about
effective
communication.

Lawyers
who
can
present
expert
findings
clearly
and
persuasively
will
always
have
an
advantage
over
those
who
bury
the
factfinder
in
technical
jargon.


Hallucinations
and
Overreliance
Are
Real
Risks

The
risks
of
AI
use
are
not
hypothetical.
Courts
have
already
rejected
expert
submissions
that
included
AI-generated
citations
or
analyses
that
did
not
exist.
In
those
cases,
the
very
tool
meant
to
improve
efficiency
became
a
source
of
false
information
because
it
was
not
adequately
supervised.

This
is
a
cautionary
tale
every
litigator
should
internalize.
AI
can
generate
content
that
looks
plausible
but
is
not
real.
A
human
must
still
verify
every
citation,
dataset,
and
conclusion.
The
duty
to
ensure
accuracy
has
not
changed.


Ethics
and
Best
Practices

AI
is
not
a
magic
solution.
Responsible
use
in
expert
work
requires
structure
and
discipline.

Lawyers
should
clearly
document
how
AI
tools
were
used
in preparation or
review
of expert
testimony.
Experts
should
receive
guidance
on
avoiding hallucinogenic content
and
ensuring
that
all
conclusions
are
independently
validated.
Confidential
data
must
be
protected,
and
sensitive
material
should
not
be
fed
into
tools
that
lack
appropriate
safeguards.

Transparency
also
matters.
As
courts
become
more
familiar
with
AI,
judges
may
expect
disclosure
when
AI
plays
a
meaningful
role
in
expert
analysis.
That
expectation
is
not
about
discouraging the
use
of
AI.
It
is
about
maintaining
trust
in
the
reliability
of
evidence.


The
Bottom
Line

AI
is
not
replacing
expert
witnesses,
but
it
is
transforming
how expert testimony
is
handled
in
litigation.
Lawyers
who
use
AI
thoughtfully
can
review
more
material,
prepare
more
effectively,
and
present
complex
ideas
more
clearly.

Those
who
ignore
it
risk
falling
behind.
Those
who
misuse
it
risk
harming
their
cases and
their
credibility.

At
its
best,
AI
turns
overwhelming
volumes
of
information
into
actionable
insight.
At
its
worst,
it
turns
fiction
into
fact.
The
difference
is
human
oversight,
and
that
responsibility
still
rests
squarely
with
the
lawyer




Michael
C.
Maschke
is
the
President
and
Chief
Executive
Officer
of
Sensei
Enterprises,
Inc.
Mr.
Maschke
is
an
EnCase
Certified
Examiner
(EnCE),
a
Certified
Computer
Examiner
(CCE
#744),
an
AccessData
Certified
Examiner
(ACE),
a
Certified
Ethical
Hacker
(CEH),
and
a
Certified
Information
Systems
Security
Professional
(CISSP).
He
is
a
frequent
speaker
on
IT,
cybersecurity,
and
digital
forensics,
and
he
has
co-authored
14
books
published
by
the
American
Bar
Association.
He
can
be
reached
at [email protected].



Sharon
D.
Nelson
is
the
co-founder
of
and
consultant
to
Sensei
Enterprises,
Inc.
She
is
a
past
president
of
the
Virginia
State
Bar,
the
Fairfax
Bar
Association,
and
the
Fairfax
Law
Foundation.
She
is
a
co-author
of
18
books
published
by
the
ABA.
She
can
be
reached
at [email protected]
.



John
W.
Simek
is
the
co-founder
of
and
consultant
to
Sensei
Enterprises,
Inc.
He
holds
multiple
technical
certifications
and
is
a
nationally
known
digital
forensics
expert.
He
is
a
co-author
of
18
books
published
by
the
American
Bar
Association.
He
can
be
reached
at [email protected]
.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s Swift Right Wing Backlash – Above the Law

Jeanine
Pirro
(Photo
by
Win
McNamee/Getty
Images)

Sure,

unlike
some
of
her
colleagues
,
Jeanine
Pirro
was
actually
nominated
and
confirmed
by
the
Senate
to
her
U.S.
Attorney
position,
but
that
doesn’t
mean
she
isn’t
out
of
her
depth.

The
latest,

but

far

from

only,

example

of

that

happened
Monday
at
her
old
stomping
grounds,
Fox
News.
The
attorney
that
rose
to

prominence
as
a
TV
personality

found
that
not
all
cable
news
hits
are
going
to
be,
well
a
hit
with
the
MAGA
base.
Yesterday,
Pirro

appeared
on
Fox
News

with Martha
MacCallum,
and
made
some
interesting
comments.

“I
don’t
care
if
you
have
a
license
in
another
district,
and
I
don’t
care
if
you’re
a
law-abiding
gun
owner
somewhere
else.
You
bring
a
gun
into
this
district,
count
on
going
to
jail
and
hope
you
get
the
gun
back,
and
that
makes
all
the
difference,” Pirro
said
in
a
rant
worthy
of
any
flaming
liberal.
Particularly
when
Pirro
followed
up,
adding,
“And
you
bring
a
gun
into
the
district,
you
mark
my
words,
you’re
going
to
jail.”

Now,
sure,
she
was
trying
to
give
Donald
Trump
and
his

gross
occupation

(and
9,500
arrests)
of
Washington
D.C.
credit
for
the
decline
in
homicides
in
2026
(there
was
also

subfreezing
weather
for
a
significant
portion

of
January
keeping
people
indoors,
but
SHHHHH),
but
these
strident
statements
about
the
limits
of
the
Second
Amendment
were
noteworthy
for
the
MAGA
faithful.

That
was

certainly
the
take

of
the
far
right.

“I
bring
a
gun
into
the
district
every
week,”
Rep.
Greg
Steube wrote
on
X
.
“I
have
a
license
in
Florida
and
DC
to
carry.
And
I
will
continue
to
carry
to
protect
myself
and
others.
Come
and
Take
it!”

Rep.
Thomas
Massie asked
his
followers,
“Why
is
a
‘conservative’
judge
threatening
to
arrest
gun
owners?”
Well,
she’s
the
current
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
District
but
the
point
remains.

Stephen
Gutowski,
founder
of
The
Reload,
slammed
Pirro
and
Fox’s
MacCallum
for
cheering
her
on
.”

Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis

sounded
off

on
X,
“Second
Amendment
rights
are
not
extinguished
just
because
an
American
visits
DC.”

Kostas
Moros,
director
of
legal
research
for
the
nonprofit
Second
Amendment
Foundation,
said
it
was
a
moronic
statement
.”

The
backlash
led
Pirro
to

walk
back
her
statements
,
saying
“We’re
taking
guns
off
the
street,
illegal
guns
in
the
hands
of
criminals
who
want
to
use
those
guns
to
victimize
law-abiding
citizens.
There’s
a
big
difference
here.
You’re
responsible,
you
follow
the
laws,
you’re
not
going
to
have
a
problem
with
me.”

Ahh,
Pirro
is
just
using
gun
laws
as
a
pretext
to
go
after
the
“wrong”
kind
of
gun
owners.
Gotcha.
That’s
disappointing,
but
much
more
on
brand
for
her.




Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast
,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer
.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email

her

with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter

@Kathryn1
 or
Mastodon

@[email protected].

Marketing Roundup: A Self-Forged Legal Path, Predicting The Future And Investment Guidance – Above the Law

As
part
of
the

Legal
Marketing
Association’s

(LMA’s)
partnership
with

Above
the
Law
,
each
month
we
share
a
roundup
of
insights
and
intel
from


Strategies
&
Voices
,
LMA’s
official
online
publication
dedicated
to
the
craft
of
legal
marketing.

This
edition
provides
an
exclusive
look
at
a
legal
marketer’s
self-forged
path
into
the
profession,
what
the
future
holds
for
legal
marketing
and
questions
to
answer
when
considering
marketing
investments.


LMA
40th
Anniversary
Member
Spotlight
Series:
Abby
Wright

As
part
of
LMA’s
40th
anniversary
spotlight
series,
Abby
Wright
shares
how
she
created
a
path
for
herself
in
legal
marketing,
her
take
on
the
role
of
business
development
and
firm
strategy,
and
advice
for
the
next
generation
of
professionals.


Read



“LMA
40th
Anniversary
Member
Spotlight
Series:
Abby
Wright”


Defining
the
Future
of
Legal
Marketing:
LMA
Members
Offer
Predictions

Last
year,
the
legal
marketing
profession
turned
40
years.
We
asked
LMA
members
for
predictions
of
where
the
profession
is
heading.
From
an
increased
emphasis
on
personalization
to
relationship
building,
embracing
zero-click
marketing
and
more,
these
are
the
trends
LMA
members
told
us
to
watch
for
in
the
years
to
come.


Read



“Defining
the
Future
of
Legal
Marketing:
LMA
Members
Offer
Predictions”


12
Questions
to
Ask
When
Considering
a
Marketing
Investment

Law
firms
face
a
flood
of
“pay-to-play”
marketing
opportunities,
from
events
and
sponsorships
to
awards
and
directories.
But
not
all
investments
deliver
real
value.
How
do
you
separate
the
high-ROI
options
from
the
noise?
This
infographic
authored
by
James
Stapleton
outlines
12
essential
questions
to
help
you
evaluate
marketing
opportunities
strategically
and
make
smarter
budget
decisions.


Read



“12
Questions
to
Ask
When
Considering
a
Marketing
Investment”


Contribute
to

Strategies
&
Voices

Do
you
have
a
compelling
case
study
or
marketing
insights
to
share?

Submit
your
ideas

to

Strategies
&
Voices

today.

The Courts Did Their Job, Will State Bar Finally Do Something About Lindsey Halligan? – Above the Law

Lindsey
Halligan
(Photo
by
Al
Drago/Getty
Images)

Back
in
December,

the
Virginia
State
Bar
declined
to
pursue
an
ethics
probe

into
the
insurance
lawyer
posing
as
the
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Eastern
District
of
Virginia.
The
Trump
administration
had
illegally
installed
Lindsey
Halligan
into
that
role,
and
she
took
advantage
of
that
opportunity
to
pursue
bad
cases
against
the
president’s
perceived
enemies
list.
And

she
even
managed
to
screw
those
up
.
Despite
the
judicial
scoldings,
Halligan
continued
to
play
act
as
U.S.
Attorney
until
Judge
David
Novak
leveled

a
scathing
rebuke
,
forcing
the
DOJ
to
finally
back
away
from
Halligan.

At
the
time,
Virginia
professional
regulators
refused
to
act
on
a
complaint
filed
by
the
Campaign
for
Accountability,
claiming
“Whether
criminal
indictments
were
obtained
through
material
misrepresentations
of
fact
and
done
for
political
purposes
falls
within
the
authority
of
the
court
to
determine
and
not
this
office.”
Fast
forward,
and
the
courts
have
adjudicated
this
and
more,
so
the
Campaign
has

filed
its
renewed
complaint
.

Which
frankly
showed
tremendous
restraint
by
not
opening
with
“Yes,
Virginia,
there
is
a
code
of
professional
conduct.”

Federal
judges
have
now
issued
rulings
finding
that
Halligan
operated
without
legal
authority,
defied
judicial
orders,
and
made
“fundamental
misstatements
of
the
law.”
The
bar
wanted
the
courts
to
do
their
job.
The
courts
did
their
job.
Tag,
you’re
it.

Magistrate
Judge
William
E.
Fitzpatrick
first
found
that
Halligan
made
fundamental
misstatements
of
the
law

in
the
grand
jury
process,
including
suggesting
the
former
FBI
director
didn’t
have
a
Fifth
Amendment
right
not
to
testify.
Then
Judge
Cameron
McGowan
Currie
ruled
Halligan
had
been
unlawfully
serving
as
U.S.
Attorney
since
September
22,
2025,
and
had
no
lawful
authority
to
present
indictments
against
James
Comey
or
New
York
Attorney
General
Letitia
James
in
the
first
place.
Which
brought
us
to
Judge
David
Novak
wondering
why
Halligan
kept
signing
filings
as
though
she
hadn’t
already
been
told
to
stop.
After
conclusively
demanding
Halligan
knock
it
off,
Judge
Novak
warned
that
he’d
refer
her
to
the
Virginia
Bar
if
she
continued.

But
a
judge
referral
isn’t
required
for
a
state
bar
to
perform
its
baseline
ethical
obligations.

In
fact,
the
Virginia
bar
previously
disciplined
prosecutors
without
judicial
referrals.
A
Fairfax
County
prosecutor
got
disciplined
for
suborning
perjury.
A
Prince
George’s
County
prosecutor
got
disciplined
for
incompetence.
If
there’s
any
difference
here,
it’s
that
there’s
an
even
deeper
record
of
possible
violations.
“Two
federal
judges
found
that
Ms.
Halligan
operated
without
legal
authority,
with
one
finding
she
openly
defied
court
orders,
and
another
concluded
she
misled
a
grand
jury,”
CfA’s
Michelle
Kuppersmith
explained.
“Contrary
to
the
Virginia
State
Bar’s
claims,
it
has
the
authority
and
must
act
to
investigate
these
serious
allegations
and
hold
Ms.
Halligan
accountable.”

The
new
complaint
provides
another
whirlwind
journey
through
the
ethical
rules,
highlighting
a
treasure
trove
of
“stuff
lawyers
shouldn’t
do.”

Failing
to
investigate
under
these
egregious
circumstances
sends
the
message
that
powerful
prosecutors
can
violate
ethical
rules
with
impunity,
safe
in
the
knowledge
that
the
Bar
will
turn
a
blind
eye.

While
they
claimed
to
be
deferring
to
the
courts,
it’s
impossible
to
read
the
bar’s
earlier
retreat
as
anything
but
an
attempt
to
avoid
the
administration’s
ire.
From
Biglaw
firms
to
institutions
of
higher
learning,
anyone
crossing
the
White
House
finds
itself
on
the
receiving
end
of
government
harassment.
Those
petty
efforts
consistently
wither
in
litigation,
but
it
is

easier

to
avoid
the
issue
entirely.

But
gatekeeping
the
profession
isn’t
supposed
to
be
easy.
It’s
a
serious
job
and
attorneys
deserve
a
regulator
that
isn’t
going
to
shirk
that
responsibility.

When
it’s
all
said
and
done,
the
only
accountability
that
these
lawyers
are
likely
to
ever
face
for
their
abuses
will
have
to
come
from
the
profession
itself.

It’s
going
to
be
on
lawyers
to
police
our
own

and
make
sure
that
attorneys
filing
frivolous,
retaliatory
criminal
suits
or
lying
to
tribunals
don’t
get
to
saunter
through
the
revolving
door
back
to
a
cushy
firm
job
when
this
is
over.
They
can’t
be
allowed
to
practice
again.

Ball’s
back
in
your
court,
Virginia.


Earlier:


Virginia
State
Bar
Whistles
Past
Lindsey
Halligan
Ethics
Complaint
Claiming
It’s
Not
Their
Job


Disbar
Them
All:
The
Only
Accountability
Left
For
Trump’s
Lawyers




HeadshotJoe
Patrice
 is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer
.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky

if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search
.

On-Demand Webinar: What Winning Expert Testimony Looks Like – Above the Law

Whether
you’re
cross-examining
or
putting
forth
an
expert
witness,
effectively
managing
their
testimony
is
a
difficult
task.

Experts
must
garner
the
respect
of
the
judge
and
jury
while
also
defending
their
own
credibility

a
precarious
balancing
act,
particularly
when
faced
with
effective
cross-examination.

In
this
webinar,
Above
the
Law’s
Bob
Ambrogi
is
joined
by
litigator
Ryan
Baker
of
Waymaker
LLP
and
Dr.
Tom
Smith
of
Emory
University,
an
experienced
expert
witness,
to
explore
all
things
expert
testimony
in
2026.

You
can
register
to view
the
full
webinar
on-demand
here

(CLE
is
available),
and
read
on
for
some
highlights
from
the
discussion.


A
‘Winning
Combination

What
makes
an
effective
expert
witness?
Here,
Tom
weighs
in
on
the
important
traits.


The
Importance
of
Being
‘Reasonable’

Experts
can
harm
their
own
credibility
when
they
seem
closed
off
to
opposing
perspectives,
Ryan
notes.
Here,
he
shares
some
thoughts
on
that
dynamic.


Approaching
Experts
as
a
Lawyer

The
panelists
explored
expert
witness
practice
in
depth
in
this
webinar.
Here,
Ryan
shares
one
quick
deposition
tip.


Hear
the
Full
Conversation

Looking
for
more
on
all
things
expert
witness? Register
for
the
full
webinar
on-demand
here.

The
discussion
explores:


What
“winning”
expert
testimony
looks
like

Examples
of
expert
testimony
from
notable
cases

How
effective
lawyers
cross-examine
experts

How
top
expert
witnesses
translate
specialized
jargon
for
factfinders

Trends
in
expert
witness
preparation,
including
the
role
of
technology