Central Illinois

Soon to be released FTC guidelines will up the ante for bloggers who review or endorse products, according to Adam Snukal in the July 2009 issue of The Corporate Lawyer, newsletter of the ISBA's Section on Corporate Law. One change wrought by the new guidelines: a blogger who reviews a product will be deemed an "endorser." That means that, "should the blogger fail to verify (or request verification of) an advertiser’s substantiation with respect to any product claims, the advertiser can be subject to liability for false and unsubstantiated statements made through the blogger’s endorsement, and the blogger may also be subject to liability for the same unsubstantiated representations (intentional or unintentional) made in the course of his/her review (aka endorsement)." Read the article.

[caption id="attachment_2500" align="alignright" width="300" caption="New members of the ISBA Board of Governors include: Gina Arquilla, James McCluskey, Lisa Nyuli and Russell Scott"][/caption] The Illinois State Bar Association's Board of Governors welcomed five new members at a meeting Friday in Chicago. The new members are: 3rd Vice President John E. Thies of Urbana, James M. McCluskey of Lisle, Lisa M. Nyuli of South Elgin and Russell K. Scott of Belleville. Gina Arquilla of Chicago was elected to fill the "under 37" Cook County seats. [caption id="attachment_2501" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Mauro Glorioso"][/caption] The Board elected Carl Draper of Springfield to serve as Secretary and Mauro Glorioso of Westchester as Treasurer. Other actions taken included approving two professional ethics opinions in accordance with the Illinois Supreme Court's New Rules of Professional Conduct.

Ethics help is just a phone call or click away

Illinois State Bar Association members can review our online database of ethics opinions, searchable by subject or opinion number, or get personal guidance from a qualified ISBA attorney by calling the Ethics InfoLine (800) 252-8908. Click here to review the ISBA's online database of ethics opinions.

[caption id="attachment_2238" align="alignright" width="250" caption="The Lincoln Courtroom Museum in Beardstown"][/caption] Illinois Lawyer Now recently toured the Lincoln Courtroom Museum in Beardstown, the only circuit courtroom still in use that Abraham Lincoln practiced in and the site of the famous Duff Armstrong "Almanac Trial" in 1858. The Armstrong "Almanac Trial" as history tells it: James Preston Metzker was savagely beaten at about 11 p.m. on Aug. 29, 1857, just outside a Methodist camp meeting near Walker's Grove in Madison County. William Duff Armstrong and James Norris were charged with Metzker's murder. Armstrong was the son of Jack and Hannah Armstrong, Lincoln's dearest friends from his days in New Salem. When Hannah asked Lincoln to defend her son, he could only agree -- and represented the young man without a fee. The trial took place in 1858. The weather was warm and it appeared the cards were stacked against Lincoln's client. After all, Norris had been found guilty the previous year. The state's star witness was Charles Allen, who claimed to have witnessed the murder by the light of the moon. Allen responded to Lincoln's questions by saying the moon was nearly full and high in the sky at 11 p.m. the night of the attack. He insisted the trees to the west of the attack site did not block the moon's light.