The hits keep coming for left-wing trial lawyers. Alaska Attorney General Steve Cox has now issued a for-cause termination notice to the trial lawyers at Motley Rice. The firing is based on allegations that the firm violated conflict-of-interest and confidentiality provisions of its contract with the state as it failed to disclose and obtain necessary waivers for conflicts of interest in connection with the firm’s state representation on opioid matters.
Recall that this for-cause termination comes soon after Utah Attorney General Derek Brown announced his decision to fire Motley Rice in the wake of ethics allegations and motions to disqualify the firm from litigation on behalf of Utah. As I previously explained regarding that termination, Motley Rice has been a kingpin of the trial lawyer community, driving the Left’s lawfare campaign against disfavored industries and funding left-wing political campaigns. During the 2024 election cycle, the firm funneled millions into a political operation that went 99.7% to top Democratic campaigns.
Two states firing trial lawyers in quick succession harkens back to 2023, when new attorneys general in Iowa and Kansas terminated the billboard lawyers at Morgan & Morgan. It is a reminder that we have seen a true sea change on the issues of left-wing trial lawyers and woke lawfare, as conservative officials have really begun to wake up to schemes being run by left-wing trial lawyers. While I was once resigned to criticizing otherwise conservative attorneys general for their partnerships with firms like Motley Rice, I now can praise win after win and strong, principled action from all across the country, like what we just saw in Alaska.
But this termination of Motley Rice in Alaska isn’t just another state cutting ties with a problematic group of trial lawyers. A for-cause termination of Motley Rice based on conflicts means Alaska is alleging actual violations of contract terms and ethical failings by Motley Rice’s lawyers. This distinction matters enormously, especially given that Alaska made this move after conducting a review of the contracting situation using an independent outside ethics counsel.
This is a particularly meaningful action by Alaska, beyond the mere headline effect. This is the kind of termination that will serve as a black mark on the resume of Motley Rice. It will haunt the firm in future efforts to secure lucrative positions on plaintiffs’ steering committees, as lead counsel in class actions, or other court-appointed roles of power and prominence in the class action and mass tort space. Judges are understandably reluctant to award such lucrative and prominent positions to law firms that have been terminated by clients for ethics violations, for good reason. Put simply, this termination will have an impact far beyond the boundaries of Alaska and for years to come.
Alaska’s decision also reinforces that Governor Mike Dunleavy’s appointment of Steve Cox as attorney general at the end of August was masterful. Cox, a lawyer’s lawyer, wasted no time identifying the issues here with Motley Rice and doing so in the most professional manner possible. He only took office at the end of August, but in short order identified the potential ethics issues, engaged an expert outside counsel, and got to the bottom of what was happening. More importantly, he went to great lengths to explain his termination and then did not publicize his actions. Rather than grandstanding or making a political statement, General Cox just did his job with care and skill for the benefit of the state, only releasing his termination letter a week after its original transmittal on October 23 (Reuters broke the story Friday) and as a result of a mandatory public records request.
This kind of decisive leadership is exactly what our country needs to counter the indefensible arrangements by which partisan firms whose lawyers donate 99% or 100% to Democrats leverage government power and pursue litigation strategies aligned with progressive activism rather than the best interests of the state. General Cox has certainly set the bar here.
The Alaska termination is a big win for Governor Dunleavy, a big win for Attorney General Cox, a big win for the State of Alaska, and a major blow against the Left and their campaign of woke lawfare. It reflects the accelerating momentum of Republican officials recognizing how left-wing trial lawyers have been wreaking havoc in their states via woke lawfare. As I noted in my previous piece on the Utah termination, this momentum really took hold in 2021 when Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen first fired Motley Rice. It continued in 2023 when newly elected Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach terminated Morgan & Morgan. And it has continued in 2025 when Utah’s Derek Brown, who took office in January after his 2024 election, became the latest to act. Let’s hope others follow in the footsteps of these trailblazers, as states like Kentucky and South Carolina still have Motley Rice on the payroll. In the meantime, three cheers for Governor Dunleavy and Attorney General Cox and their wholesale takedown of the shady trial lawyer pipeline in Alaska.