Paul Weiss Sanctions Shine Light on ‘Tidal Wave’ of Incivility

A terse exchange during a Zoom deposition that ended in sanctions probably won’t tarnish the reputation of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a firm with deep ties to the Biden administration.

But the incident is a rare example of a prestigious firm finding itself in hot water for unprofessional behavior. It also has become an example of judges cracking down on incivility—a trend that ethics lawyers say has sharply increased in recent years.

“Civility is always important, but the emphasis on it seems to come in waves, and I think we are in a tidal wave right now,” said ...