Is your practice really as strong as you think it is? No matter how grand your vision is for your law firm’s future, it won’t matter if you haven’t mastered the four business cornerstones that are required to grow a thriving practice. Join us from noon until 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 for this online seminar that reveals what you’re doing right and where you need help. ISBA member and Atticus-certified practice advisor, Mark Metzger, helps you determine the biggest improvement opportunities in your practice and how to earn a better living while taking more time off work. Complete the scorecard to see how your practice measures up (or doesn’t) against other firms in profitability, time management, support staff, marketing efforts, new client conversions, and growth mindset as a law firm owner. Walk away with a powerful tool you can use right away to spark improvement and growth!

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.

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.

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.