At times, clients must be distinguished from nonclients for purposes of determining who is a client during attorney-client communications involving a corporate client, says Jeffrey Parness in his November 2019 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Confidentiality and Client Communications in Illinois.” In this setting—in Illinois, though often not elsewhere, Parness shows,—the so-called “control group” test serves to limit who speaks as an agent for the corporate client. As well, the law of masters and servants is usually not employed to determine issues of client agency in the attorney-client communication setting. One takeaway: An Illinois appellate ruling has placed the burden of proof on agency on the party asserting the privilege.

The Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Judges Association are pleased to invite you to celebrate the profession and consider issues of mutual interest to the bench and bar during our annual Joint Midyear Meeting, which will be held Dec. 5-7, 2019, at the Westin O'Hare in Rosemont. 

Hotel reservations may be made through Sunday, Nov. 10. To make reservations, please contact the Westin O'Hare directly at 888.627.8517 and be sure to identify yourself as an ISBA Joint Midyear Meeting attendee.

The online registration deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Patrick Thomas Driscoll, Jr., 77, of Glenview, died peacefully surrounded by his wife, children, and other close family members.

Pat Driscoll, "Paddy" to his grandchildren, was an understated man whose quiet demeanor concealed a brilliant mind, a quick wit, a natural propensity for debate, a tender heart, and a dogged tenacity that served him well in his life-long career as an attorney.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier has announced his retirement effective Dec. 6, 2020.

Justice Karmeier served as Chief Justice from Oct. 26, 2016-Oct. 25, 2019. He was succeeded by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke, whose three-year term commenced Oct. 26, 2019. 

Justice Karmeier, of Nashville, Illinois, was the state’s 120th Chief Justice and the second person from Washington County to hold that office. Justice Byron O. House, for whom Chief Justice Karmeier served as a law clerk, was the first.

Justice Karmeier served as a member of the Assembly of the Illinois State Bar Association from 1996 to 2002, and as chair of the ISBA’s Bench and Bar Section Council.

Join us in Chicago or via live webcast from 8:50 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 for a full-day seminar that reviews a range of general practice topics—from discovery and dispositive motions, to handling harassment in the workplace.

Attorneys involved in general practice and civil litigation with intermediate practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: how to set the proper foundation; how to obtain the discovery you need; motions to dismiss and summary judgment motions; how to recognize incivility in the legal profession and strategies for mitigating the effects of these behaviors; how to use motions in limine to bar or admit evidence; and how to increase your chance for a successful appeal.

Chief Judge Diane P. Wood announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will have a memorial proceeding for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., in the James B. Parsons Ceremonial Courtroom on the 25th Floor of the Dirksen Federal Building at 219 South Dearborn Street in Chicago. 

Many attorneys are not familiar with document automation and may use inefficient approaches to drafting documents.

The ISBA’s “Document Assembly Checklist” helps attorneys efficiently draft documents by educating them on using  “gold-standard templates,” which are single, word processor documents containing all of the provisions, required and optional, that should be included for a given document.  

The Illinois State Bar Association will honor the Class of 1969 Distinguished Counsellors on Nov. 14. This title is conferred annually upon those ISBA members who are completing their 50^th year of practice.

The Board of Governors is pleased to announce the 2019 Class will be honored at a special luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Palmer House Chicago. A reception will begin at 11 a.m., and lunch is scheduled promptly at 11:45 a.m.

Join us online from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 for a comprehensive overview of blockchain technology and the impact that it may have on your legal practice. Civil practice lawyers and commercial litigation attorneys with intermediate practice experience who attend this online seminar will learn how blockchain is disrupting various aspects of the economy, how blockchain may arise in the context of litigation, and how to prepare as blockchain begins making its way into civil court cases.

The Illinois Bar Journal’s November cover story examines “8 Things Killing Your Law Firm—and How to Stop Them.” The article complements a CLE program presented by Affinity Consulting Group earlier for the Illinois State Bar Association regarding common management ruts and how to get out of them using techniques such as Lean and Six Sigma.