The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on May 19, 2017. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
ARDC
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May 19, 2017
1 comment (Most recent May 22, 2017)
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May 1, 2017
The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC), the administrative agency that regulates licensed Illinois lawyers, has filed its year 2016 Annual Report with the Supreme Court of Illinois. The report was released to the public this morning when a copy was posted on the ARDC website.
A summary of the annual report is available at Highlights of the 2016 Annual Report.
The ARDC annually evaluates the effectiveness of the disciplinary system. Complete and comprehensive statistics concerning the disciplinary caseload are submitted to the Illinois Supreme Court and are published in the Annual Report. Few professions account for their regulatory activity in such detail.
In its Annual Report, the ARDC accounts to the Supreme Court for money received and spent. No tax money is used to fund the agency. All operating funds are taken from an annual registration fee paid by Illinois attorneys. By Supreme Court rule, lawyers pay an annual fee of $385. Of that amount, $95 is remitted to the Lawyers Trust Fund to fund legal services for the poor; $10 is sent to the Lawyers’ Assistance Program, an organization that helps lawyers, judges, law students, and their families with alcohol abuse, drug dependency, or mental health problems; $25 is submitted to the Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism; $25 funds the Client Protection Program to indemnify victims of lawyer misconduct; and the balance of the registration fee is used by the ARDC to pay for lawyer regulation.
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March 21, 2017
The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on March 20, 2017, during the March Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
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March 8, 2017 |
Practice News
The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission is warning of a phishing threat aimed at Illinois lawyers.
“A phishing attack targeting lawyers has been reported recently by state disciplinary authorities in District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Missouri and California,” the ARDC reports. “Emails received by lawyers in those states purport to notify the lawyer of a disciplinary complaint, usually with the subject line ‘Bar Complaint’ or something similar, in an attempt to lure the lawyer into responding by clicking on links to files that open malicious software.
“The ARDC has also received several reports of this happening to Illinois lawyers. If you receive one of these fraudulent emails, please do not respond or click on any attachments. Delete it immediately. The ARDC DOES NOT notify lawyers of the initiation of disciplinary investigations via email except when there is difficulty in contacting the lawyer via U.S. mail.”
If you have questions about an email that purports to be from the ARDC, contact the Commission.
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January 18, 2017 |
Practice News
The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on January 13, 2017, during the January Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
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November 21, 2016 |
Practice News
The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on November 18, 2016, during the November Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
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September 22, 2016
The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on September 22, 2016, during the September Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
1 comment (Most recent September 22, 2016) -
May 19, 2016
The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on May 18, 2016, during the May Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
10 comments (Most recent May 25, 2016) -
March 29, 2016 |
People
The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP today announced that Chicago partner, Mark W. Bina, has been reappointed to the Illinois Supreme Court’s Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC).
Mark will serve another year on the commission which is the state agency overseeing the licensing and discipline of all Illinois-licensed attorneys. He also sits on the ARDC’s Hearing Board which serves as a fact-finder conducting evidentiary hearings for attorneys charged with misconduct, and also sits on the ARDC's Oversight Committee.
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March 22, 2016 |
People
The State of Illinois Supreme Court recently appointed personal injury attorney, Stephan D. Blandin, to another one year-commitment on the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) hearing board, effective March 1, 2016. Founding partner and principal at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Mr. Blandin has served on the ARDC’s hearing board for five years. He is one of more than 75 hearing board members who will make recommendations in disciplinary matters of lawyers in Illinois throughout the next year.
“I am honored to be a part of the ARDC for the fifth year in a row,” said Mr. Blandin. "Preserving the integrity of the legal profession and ensuring that the Illinois public can trust in our legal system is of the utmost importance.”
All hearing board activities are guaranteed confidentiality during all grievance investigations for Blandin, while disciplinary actions are adjudicated publicly. The ARDC board members are comprised of volunteer lawyers and non-lawyers who work under the direct supervision of the Chair of the Commission, James R. Mendillo. The ARDC operates under the authority of the Supreme Court, which regulates the admission and discipline of lawyers in Illinois.