RSMD’s Jim Doppke addressed first-year law students at Loyola University School of Law on Monday, January 27, 2020, concerning civility in the legal profession — and what it means in the character and fitness process. Jim has represented and advised many applicants to the Illinois Bar, and he was pleased to bring his experience to bear at his alma mater. He looks forward to making a similar presentation to Loyola’s evening and weekend students on Saturday, February 1.
Continue Reading RSMD’s Jim Doppke Addresses Loyola 1Ls on Civility, Character & Fitness

The new year is well underway, and lawyers are already looking ahead, planning and executing and looking to grow. One thing our firm always does at this time of year is look around at the regulatory environment. We analyze what we’ve seen and heard, what our experiences have been, and what data – especially the data representing we know about ARDC’s enforcement efforts over the past year – can tell us.
It can be hard to tell exactly when we know the number of formal disciplinary complaints that the Administrator of the ARDC has filed during a given calendar year.
Continue Reading Closing the Books on 2019?

RSMD’s Jim Doppke will address the Chicago Bar Association Professional Responsibility Committee at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 16. He’ll discuss limited scope representation agreements, which the Illinois Supreme Court formally introduced as part of its 2013 amendment of Rule 13. But what’s the state of the law now? Jim will examine current views on the benefits and pitfalls of limited scope, and he’ll provide thoughts about best limited scope practices for 2020 and beyond.
Continue Reading RSMD’s Jim Doppke at CBA 1/16/20: Limited Scope Agreements

On November 20, Mary Robinson and Sari Montgomery gave presentations to the Chicago Bar Association’s Unauthorized Practice and Multidisciplinary Practice Committee. Sari addressed the rules and pitfalls of cross-border practice, in particular reviewing scenarios involving states bordering Illinois. Mary addressed the operation of law-related businesses, including tax and immigration consulting services, heir finder and genealogical businesses, and foreclosure surplus fund distribution entities.
RSMD’s lawyers are always pleased to give presentations to groups of all sizes, and to help raise awareness of developing professionalism issues. If your organization has a need for an in-depth ethics discussion, please contact the firm to…
Continue Reading RSMD Lawyers Discuss UPL at CBA

“Garden Fence,” George Tan
by Jim Doppke
Since my earlier post relating to Rule 5.4 and the several new proposals that call for its modification, a new one has arisen: the October 4, 2019 report of the Arizona Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services, which suggests (among many other things) that Rule 5.4 be eliminated entirely.

I previously focused on the question of how we have been enforcing the Rule in recent years; the Arizona report, fascinatingly, reaches back to the origins of Rule 5.4 as part of its analysis of whether the Rule should continue to…
Continue Reading Protection From What?

by Jim Doppke
In my last post, I wrote about In re Karavidas, the ways in which it changed attorney regulation in Illinois, and how it can be seen as the foundation for future reform efforts. The profession – in Illinois and elsewhere – is beginning the discussion of “re-regulation,” and asking how we can change regulation in the future to best meet the needs of an innovating landscape while also protecting the public from ethical violations. I’ll have some viewpoints on that in coming posts; but for now I’d like to focus on the present…
Continue Reading My Impression Now: Data on Rule 5.4