Annemarie Kill of the Chicago firm Avery Camerlingo Kill, LLC has been named the winner of the 2014 ISBA Diversity Leadership Award. The Diversity Leadership Award recognizes long standing, continuing and exceptional commitment by an individual or an organization to the critical importance of diversity within the Illinois legal community, its judiciary and within the Illinois State Bar Association.Ms. Kill has made significant contributions to the advancement of diversity within the Illinois legal community and within ISBA. She has served as a member and chair of both the ISBA Diversity Leadership Council and Standing Committee on Women and the Law.From 2011 to 2012, she served as the Coordinator of the Diversity Fellows, which identifies diverse future leaders and provides them an opportunity to find their leadership niche within ISBA. In this position she led several efforts to improve the program and enhance the positive experience for the Diversity Fellows. She helped institute an initial orientation and reception for the Fellows and drafted a Fellows’ handbook. She also oversaw the revision of the Diversity Fellows’ mentorship program.Ms. Kill has served on the ISBA Law and Leadership Institute (LLI) Committee. This committee is a statewide initiative to help minority students achieve academic success and aspire to careers in the law.

Q. Can I enter into a fee agreement with a client to lobby the legislature on a proposal where my fee is contingent upon the passage of the proposal?A. RPC 1.5(d) expressly prohibits contingent fees in only two types of cases (certain domestic relations matters and criminal cases). However, by case law and statute, charging a contingent fee in a lobbying matter is prohibited. See In re Browning 23 Ill.2d 483 (1962) and 25 ILCS 170/8.ISBA members can browse past ISBA Ethics Opinions, access our Ethics Hotline, and other resources on the ISBA Ethics Page.

Q. My client gave false information in an administrative hearing. Do I have to inform the tribunal?A. Comment [3] to Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 3.3 states that an advocate is responsible for pleadings and other documents prepared for litigation, but is usually not required to have personal knowledge of matters asserted therein, for litigation documents ordinarily present assertions by the client, or by someone on the client’s behalf, and not assertions by the lawyer. However, Rule 3.3(a)(3) states that a lawyer shall not knowingly “offer evidence that the lawyer knows to be false.”  If the lawyer learns the information was false, the lawyer “shall take reasonable measures, including, if necessary, disclosure to the tribunal.”   For further information see ISBA Ethics Opinion 13.05.ISBA members can browse past ISBA Ethics Opinions, access our Ethics Hotline, and other resources on the ISBA Ethics Page.

Can you get the other side's damaging Facebook posts into evidence? How do you make sure they don't vanish at a click of the "delete" key? Learn more about emerging principles and best practices in this fast-moving area of law in the June IBJ.