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17 September 2021 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 7948 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Trouble for the Trump lawyers

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Lawyers for Trump abused the judicial process: Michael Zander heralds the words that capture a memorable judgment
  • In August, US District Judge Linda Parker ruled against lawyers for former president Donald Trump for bringing a case that sought to overturn his clear election defeat last November in Michigan.

‘This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process’ were the first words of US District Judge Linda Parker’s 110-page opinion in proceedings successfully brought by the governor of Michigan and the city of Detroit against nine lawyers for the former President Trump. They sought sanctions and costs against the lawyers for bringing a case that sought to overturn Trump’s clear election defeat last November in Michigan.

The judge referred the nine senior lawyers to their respective Bar Associations for potential disbarment, (unusually) ordered them to pay the state and the city’s costs—and, for good measure, required that they undergo 12 hours of legal education on pleading and election law. Her careful and impressive judgment looks appeal-proof.

The judgment

Her

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NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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