5th Annual Abraham Lincoln’s Legal Legacy: Lessons for Today’s Lawyers – Science and Technology’s Rapidly Evolving Impact on the Law
Don’t miss ISBA’s 5th Annual Abraham Lincoln’s Legal Legacy seminar as we take an in-depth look at how inventions and advancements in science and technology create opportunities for lawyers to represent innovators, as well as those clients who are disrupted by the innovation (including the legal profession). The program takes place at the Rock Island Arsenal Museum located on the historic island that supported part of the railroad bridge subject to Lincoln’s famous case of Hurd et al v. Rock Island Bridge Company (often called the Effie Afton trial.)
Ft. Armstrong has been on Rock Island since 1816. Army Dr. Emerson was stationed at Ft. Armstrong from 1834 to 1836 and took Dred Scott with him as a slave. Slavery was prohibited in Illinois and that later served as Scott’s claim for freedom in the Dred Scott case. The first rail bridge over the Mississippi used the Island to connect Illinois to Iowa and was finished in 1856 (and struck by the steamboat Effie Afton the same year!). President Lincoln signed the legislation creating the Arsenal in 1862, which became a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Join us for this informative, historical look at how Lincoln addressed the science and technology issues of his time, and how lawyers of every generation face similar challenges.
Topics include: how Lincoln’s curiosity and self-study of other disciplines (including science and technology) enhanced his ability to represent clients from a broad range of industries; Lincoln’s representation in the famous Effie Afton trial where the interests of steamboats clashed with the development of railroad expansion; Lincoln’s role as legislator, lawyer, President, and inventor in other areas of science and technology innovations; the ethical issues facing lawyers regarding science and technology innovations; how AI and emerging technology is impacting current lawyers and law practice; and much more.
Friday, September 8, 2023
Rock Island Arsenal Museum, 3500 North Avenue, Rock Island
8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
6.0 hours MCLE credit, including 6.0* hours Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics credit (subject to approval)