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At “Meatfest,” the judge and the lawyers were all smiles. Judge David R. Jones, who had worked for years to make Houston a destination for high-dollar bankruptcy litigation, can be seen in an October 2022 photo huddled at the barbecue with local attorneys who brought cases before him and also formed a cooking crew.

A recent article, "Overbilled by your lawyer? You are not alone," told the story of a lawyer whose firm touted expertise that she didn’t have and billed for time that she didn’t work. That story led to an e-mail captioned BRAVO from Professor Nancy B. Rapoport, of William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The romance between David R. Jones and Elizabeth Freeman caused quite the stir in legal circles. The pairing is not per se noteworthy, but when a federal bankruptcy judge gets together with a bankruptcy partner of a major law firm and continues to hear cases involving that partner/law firm, well, that kind of ethical lapse will set tongues a-wagging.

The receptionist at the doctor’s office gives you a sheaf of papers to fill out. As the air-conditioning repairman leaves, he hands you a contract. In a spa’s waiting room, you’re asked to sign an agreement before your Swedish massage.

A recent article, Overbilled by Your Lawyer? You’re Not Alone, told the story of a lawyer whose firm touted expertise that she didn’t yet have and billed for time that she didn’t work. That story led to an e-mail captioned “Bravo” from Professor Nancy B. Rapoport of William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The FTX and Silicon Valley Bank collapses show Sullivan & Cromwell's investments in its restructuring practice are paying enormous dividends for the law firm.

A high-profile Texas bankruptcy judge’s resignation reveals the limited power—and will—of existing judicial oversight systems to take steps that would prevent future ethical misconduct.

A federal court in southern Texas quickly moved to reassign about 3,500 bankruptcy cases after the sudden resignation of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones in Houston, transferring his large-company Chapter 11 cases to two judges who are already among the busiest in the U.S.