Subject Index Ethics

The “DNA” Client

By Charles J. Northrup
October
2019
Column
, Page 54
Representing clients that can’t, by definition, communicate or make decisions.

A Cautionary Tale for In-house Counsel

By Sari Montgomery, Scott Kozlov, & Nancy Vincent
July
2019
Column
, Page 52
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 716 and the Illinois bar.

It’s Spring!

By Charles J. Northrup
April
2019
Column
, Page 50
Time for a "birds and bees" discussion about client development.

It’s Okay, I’m a Lawyer!: How the Expansion of the Attorney-Litigation Privilege is Changing the Game

By Amanda J. Hamilton
March
2019
Article
, Page 38
The recent expansion of the attorney-litigation privilege demonstrates why attorneys must increasingly be vigilant in their commitment to ethical principles.

Crossing the Threshold

By Charles J. Northrup
January
2019
Column
, Page 52
What are your ethical duties regarding an impaired lawyer?

False, Misleading, and Worth Your Attention

By Charles J. Northrup
October
2018
Column
, Page 52
Revisiting the ethical principles guiding Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 7.1.
1 comment (Most recent October 11, 2018)

Think Twice Before Responding to Negative Online Reviews

By Bailey E. Felts
July
2018
Column
, Page 50
Navigating ethical landmines surrounding negative online reviews.

Limited Scope Representation in Transactions - Put It in Writing

By Charles J. Northrup
April
2018
Column
, Page 52
No written agreement is required in Illinois for limited scope transactional work. But as a recent New York case shows, it's best to put it in writing.

Proposed amendments to the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act

March
2018
Illinois Law Update
, Page 24
This proposed legislation would amend the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act by clearly establishing the jurisdiction of the Legislative Ethics Commission and the Legislative Inspector General.

An Ethics Roadmap for Lawyer Referrals

By Bailey E. Felts
January
2018
Column
, Page 48
Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 1.5(e), 5.4(a), and 7.2(b) are important places to look for guidance about referral ethics.

Inform Yourself about Informed Consent

By Charles J. Northrup
October
2017
Column
, Page 52
Nearly a third of Illinois ethics rules require lawyers to get a client's informed consent before proceeding. But what is "informed consent"?

New Jersey regulators say lawyers can’t participate in Avvo client-linking service

By Matthew Hector
September
2017
LawPulse
, Page 12
Three New Jersey Supreme Court committees found that the "marketing fee" taken by Avvo is improper fee-splitting with nonlawyers.

Attorney referral agreements still enforceable as to fee sharing absent language requiring “joint responsibility”

August
2017
Illinois Law Update
, Page 18
On May 18, 2017, the Illinois Supreme Court held that Illinois attorneys who receive clients under referral agreements must pay the referring attorneys the agreed fee even when the agreement does not include language explicitly stating they share "joint financial responsibility."

Ethics and Social Media

By Richard S. Kling, Khalid Hasan, & Martin D. Gould
August
2017
Article
, Page 30
Social media is a trove of potential evidence, but lawyers must be mindful of ethical limits before attempting to get and use it. This article looks at the small body of law and advisory opinions applicable to social media evidence and related issues.

Yes, you must report judicial misconduct

By Matthew Hector
August
2017
LawPulse
, Page 12
An attorney's duty to report attorney misconduct under Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3 extends to judges, too.

‘S’ is for ‘Summer Students,’ Who Require ‘Supervision’

By Bailey E. Felts
July
2017
Column
, Page 52
Clerkships can be great for students and law offices, but supervising lawyers need to play an active role.

From the Newsletters - Referring cases the right way

June
2017
Article
, Page 22
Referring cases can be good for clients and the referring attorney - just make sure you know what your obligations are.

Ethics and Airport Lawyers

By Charles J. Northrup
April
2017
Column
, Page 50
Here's why the prohibition against in-person solicitation almost certainly didn't apply to lawyers who advertised their services in response to President Trump's immigration order.

From the Newsletters - Ethics and the GAL

February
2017
Article
, Page 41
Because guardians ad litem are protectors, not advocates, they aren't subject to some of the ethical principles that apply to lawyers representing clients.

Consumer Legal Forms and UPL

By Bailey E. Cunningham
January
2017
Column
, Page 49
Are online-forms vendors engaged in the unauthorized practice of law? Yes, if they're giving legal advice.
1 comment (Most recent May 9, 2017)

ISBA ethics opinion OKs storing client info in the cloud

By Matthew Hector
January
2017
LawPulse
, Page 14
Lawyers can store client information on cloud-based servers, an ISBA ethics opinion says, but only if they take the proper precautionary steps.

Beware the Specter of the Nonrefundable Advance Fee

By Charles J. Northrup
October
2016
Column
, Page 54
Any fee is refundable if it wasn't earned or isn't reasonable. Calling an advance fee "nonrefundable" is usually asking for trouble.
2 comments (Most recent October 21, 2016)

From the Newsletters - New supreme court rules up the ante for tech competence

July
2016
Article
, Page 41
New supreme court rules up the ante for tech competence.
4 comments (Most recent June 23, 2016)

Nonlawyer Ownership of Law Firms: A Recurring Debate

By Bailey E. Cunningham
July
2016
Column
, Page 48
Nonlawyer law-firm ownership threatens the professional independence of lawyers.

The Ethics of Representing Corporations

By Christopher P. Clasby
June
2016
Article
, Page 40
When you represent a corporation, do you also represent the officers and directors? May you represent them individually? These and related ethical questions arise when your client or opponent is a corporation.

Preventive Regulation

By Ed Finkel
June
2016
Cover Story
, Page 22
Illinois attorney regulators are taking a hard look at "proactive management-based regulation," which would encourage - and perhaps someday require - lawyers to put systems in place that help prevent ethical missteps before they happen.
2 comments (Most recent March 2, 2017)

Avvo and the Ethics of ‘Lead Generation’

By Charles J. Northrup
April
2016
Column
, Page 54
Lead-generating services are proliferating - don't step onto ethical thin ice.
3 comments (Most recent April 14, 2016)

The Ethics of Endorsing

By Bailey E. Cunningham
January
2016
Column
, Page 50
Might your LinkedIn endorsements run afoul of ethics rules?

New ethics rules address outsourcing, technological competence, and more

By Matthew Hector
December
2015
LawPulse
, Page 12
Changes in Illinois ethics rules address lawyers' obligation to be technologically competent, when they must disclose to clients that they are outsourcing work, and other issues.

Do you have to give clients their files?

November
2015
Article
, Page 24
In Illinois, clients own briefs and other "end products" of the matter, but lawyers control early drafts and notes.

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