This handbook offers comprehensive guidance on the critical legal and ethical responsibilities that every Illinois attorney must navigate to protect their livelihood. This edition delves into key topics including professional standards, duties to clients, malpractice, attorney-client privilege, conflicts of interest, and duties to the court. It also covers the practical insights on liability insurance, risk management, and the essential strategies to prevent legal pitfalls. This handbook is a must-have resource for every attorney committed to understanding and minimizing their legal exposure in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.
General Editor:
Thomas P. McGarry, Independent Consultant, Chicago
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
Jeff Katz, The Katz Law Firm, Chicago
Chapter 3 — Attorney Liability to Non-Clients
Scott F. Hessell, Sperling Kenny Nachwalter., Chicago
Chapter 4 — Attorney Liability to Adversaries and Other Third Parties
Terrence P. McAvoy, Justin M. Penn, and Kate G. Schnake, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 5 — Legal Malpractice
Elliot R. Schiff, Schiff Law Firm LLC, Chicago, and Thomas G. Gorman, Krzak Rundio Law Group, LLC, Chicago
Chapter 6 — Litigating the Legal Malpractice Case
Thomas P. McGarry, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Robert A. Chapman and John M. Owen, 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, Laner Muchin, Ltd., Chicago
Chapter 9 — Client Trust Accounts
Mary F. Andreoni, Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, Illinois Supreme Court, Chicago
Chapter 10 — Conflicts of Interest
Kathryne R. Hayes and Adrian M. Vuckovich, Collins Bargione & Vuckovich, Chicago
Chapter 11 — Duty to the Courts — Sanctions
Laura Coffey Ieremia, Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC, Chicago
Chapter 12 — Statutes Affecting Lawyer Liability
David M. Schultz, Justin M. Penn, and, Margaret A. Hayes, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 13 — Disciplinary Liability
Mary Robinson, Sari W. Montgomery, James A. Doppke, Jr., and Stephanie L. Stewart, Robinson, Stewart, Montgomery & Dopke, LLC, Chicago
Chapter 14 — Attorney Liability Insurance
John E. Delascio, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP,Chicago, and Brendan P. McGarry, Kaufman Dolowich LLP, Chicago
Chapter 15 — The Limitation of Liability Through Business Forms
Thomas P. McGarry and Anthony J. Jacob, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 16 — Attorney Liability Risk Management
Michael Zhang, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
Chapter 17 — Lawyers in Transition: Liability Issues Relating to Lawyer Mobility
James R. Figliulo and Stephanie D. Jones, Smith Gambrell Russell Law Firm, Chicago
Chapter 18 —Liability Issues Relating to Cybersecurity
Steven M. Puiszis and Caroline A. Mondschean, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago
