ISBA Development Site
This website is for ISBA staff use only. All visitors should return to the main ISBA website.
This website is for ISBA staff use only. All visitors should return to the main ISBA website.
An Illinois lawyer acting as local counsel for an out-of-state lawyer shares the same duties to the client as the lawyer acting as lead counsel. While local counsel and the client may agree to limit the role of local counsel upon informed consent, that lawyer remains subject to the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct. A lawyer may only enter a general appearance in an Illinois state court criminal matter and is subject to the rules and orders of the court, including any orders requiring local counsel’s appearance at any or all court proceedings.
A lawyer may not withhold controlling legal authority from a tribunal as a trial strategy to insure reversible error on appeal. Lawyers reading about the contemplated strategy on an online discussion group have no duty to report the posting lawyer.
When a lawyer discovers that his or her client in an administrative hearing has previously submitted false material evidence to the tribunal, the lawyer must attempt to persuade the client to correct or withdraw the false evidence, but if that fails and if the effect of the false evidence cannot otherwise be undone, the lawyer must disclose the false evidence.
It is not ethically permissible for a lawyer for a representative of a decedent’s estate to enter into a fee agreement, or to collect a fee, for an amount in excess of the amount of fees allowed by a probate court as reasonable.
Attorney does not have an obligation under R.P.C. Rule 3.3 to tell the court that the unrepresented adversary has a defense based on a written agreement that the attorney’s client signed with the adversary and which the attorney now believes in good faith is unenforceable.
Under facts presented by inquiry, lawyer may disclose to court client's fraud upon the court if lawyer's efforts to persuade client to rectify fraud fail.
Attorney for disabled adult's estate should report the taking of money from the estate by a guardian to the probate court even though taken under a claim of right by the guardian where the attorney did not represent the guardian personally in connection with the estate.
A defense attorney whose client has disappeared may reveal such confidences or secrets upon requesting a continuance at a status call if required by court order or law to do so, but such attorney may not give a false reason for requesting a continuance.
Lawyer has no duty to reveal secret but not privileged information that is incriminating to his client; a lawyer is under no obligation to take possession of physical evidence offered to him by third party; if lawyer takes possession of inculpatory physical evidence from third party he may have to turn it over to the state if it will otherwise likely be destroyed or is contraband or will cause serious injury.