This handbook addresses the core duty of each attorney, as a trustee for the public good, to shape and manage his or her practice to meet the unique responsibilities of the legal profession. The authors clearly define standards of care and provide guidance for maintaining those standards. Included in the handbook are in-depth discussions of attorney liability, malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, attorney-client privilege, attorney-work-product doctrine, trust accounts, conflicts of interest, sanctions, disciplinary liability, risk management, and attorneys in transition, as well as many other issues specific to Illinois attorneys. Best-practice guidance is provided to assist those attorneys seeking to best serve their clients, whether in public or private practice. Forms and checklists are included,
General Editor
Thomas P. McGarry, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 — Introduction — The Lawyer as a Professional: How Our Professional Responsibilities Shape Our Practice
J. Timothy Eaton, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Chicago
Chapter 2 — Duties to the Client: Defining the Standards of Care
Ira N. Helfgot, Law Offices of Ira N. Helfgot, and Maureen A. McGuire, Anderson Rasor & Partners, LLP, Chicago
Chapter 3 — Attorney Liability to Non-Clients
Rex K. Linder and J. Matthew Thompson, Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C., Peoria
Chapter 4 — Attorney Liability to Adversaries and Other Third Parties
Terrence P. McAvoy, Justin M. Penn, and Kate Schnake, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 5 — Legal Malpractice
Elliot R. Schiff, Schiff Gorman LLC, Chicago
Chapter 6 — Litigating the Legal Malpractice Case
Thomas P. McGarry, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, and Robert A. Chapman, Chapman Spingola LLP, Chicago
Chapter 7 — Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Matthew R. Henderson, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 8 — Attorney-Client Privilege and Attorney-Work-Product Doctrine
Peter J. Gillespie, Fisher & Phillips LLP, Chicago
Chapter 9 — Client Trust Accounts
Mary F. Andreoni, Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, Illinois Supreme Court, Chicago
Chapter 10 — Conflicts of Interest
William M. Freivogel, Private Consultant, and William T. Barker, Dentons US LLP, Chicago
Chapter 11 — Duty to the Courts — Sanctions
Sherri M. Arrigo and Ashley Dus, Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC, Chicago
Chapter 12 — Statutes Affecting Lawyer Liability
David M. Schultz, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 13 — Disciplinary Liability
Mary Robinson, Sari W. Montgomery, and James A. Dopke, Robinson Law Group LLC, Chicago
Chapter 14 — Attorney Liability Insurance
Fritz K. Huszagh, Attorney at Law, Northbrook, and Kent J. Cummings, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 15 — The Limitation of Liability Through Business Forms
Thomas P. McGarry and Jennifer W. Weller, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 16 — Attorney Liability Risk Management
Thomas P. Sukowicz, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago and Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Chapter 17 — Lawyers in Transition: Liability Issues Relating to Lawyer Mobility
James R. Figliulo and James H. Bowhay, Figliulo & Silverman, P.C., Chicago