The Illinois Supreme Court announced rule amendments today that make Illinois the first state to adopt so-called “proactive management-based regulation” (PMBR), a system designed to prevent ethical missteps by requiring lawyers without malpractice insurance to review their operations. For the text of the changes, see Amended Rule 756(e).   Beginning in 2018, Illinois attorneys in private practice who do not have malpractice insurance must complete a four-hour interactive, online self-assessment regarding the operation of their law firm. This self-assessment will require lawyers to demonstrate that they have reviewed the operations of their firm based upon both lawyer ethics rules and best business practices. The program will be administered by the ARDC. Following a lawyer’s self-assessment, the ARDC will provide him or her with a list of resources to address issues identified during the self-assessment process, according to a supreme court press release. All information gathered in a lawyer’s online self-assessment is confidential, although the ARDC may report data in the aggregate. Lawyers who do not maintain malpractice insurance are required to complete a self-assessment every two years. Other lawyers are encouraged to self-assess. Lawyers who participate in the PMBR self-assessment will earn free MCLE credits.

Mediation is designed to resolve differences both in and out of the courts. It requires a very different mindset than courtroom litigation. This five-day Master Series program – which takes place in Chicago from February 13-17, 2017 – trains practitioners to resolve conflicts in a non-adversarial, non-confrontational manner, allowing peaceful resolutions between parties. The program is taught by Richard Calkins and Fred Lane—two nationally recognized mediators, authors and educators. Mr. Calkins and Mr. Lane have developed an approach that encourages the mediator to be a peacemaker, deemphasizing the antagonism involved in formal litigation. Their five-day course has considerable hands-on training and requires each participant to complete two full mediations as a mediator. Course topics include an introduction to mediation, caucus form of mediation, qualities of a peacemaker, ethical considerations, other Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms, advanced mediator techniques, and arbitration. Mr. Calkins and Mr. Lane are co-authors of the “Lane & Calkins Mediation Practice Guide,” which is included as part of this program. Click here for more information and to register.

The ISBA is among bar associations co-hosting a free reception in Chicago Monday, February 13, for two world-recognized anti-slavery leaders, Biram Abeid and Brahim Randhame of Mauritania, West Africa. Abeid and Randhame have led the fight against slavery in Mauritania, which did not criminalize the practice until 2007 and whose weak anti-slavery laws are seldom enforced. Slavery in Mauritania is race- and descent-based and is chillingly similar to that in the antebellum United States. The reception will be from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Latham & Watkins LLC Conference Center at 330 N. Wabash #2800 (find out more and RSVP here) and will raise funds to help combat slavery in Mauritania. The legal community is partnering with the Chicago-based Abolition Institute to host the event. For more information contact Sean@StoppingSlavery.org.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Friday, January 20. The cases are The Hertz Corporation v. City of Chicago, Board of Education of Springfield School Dist. No. 186 v. Attorney General of Illinois, Village of Bartonville v. Lopez, and People v. Johnson.