Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Oct. 31, 2025
Judge fines Alston & Bird $10,000 for LinkedIn research on prospective juror
U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick said the law firm violated a court order that barred LinkedIn research on potential jurors, warning that future violations could bring far steeper penalties.
A federal judge in San Francisco has fined Alston & Bird LLP $10,000 for violating a court order against using LinkedIn to research a prospective juror because the platform notifies the target, amounting to impermissible contact.
U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick described the fine as "far more modest than I originally contemplated," acknowledging that other judges might not consider LinkedIn notifications to be improper contact. He emphasized that "it was A...
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