In 1857, Abraham Lincoln was the defense attorney for Melissa Goings, who was charged with the murder of her husband, Roswell Goings—a 77-year-old man with a reputation for heavy drinking and spousal abuse. The abuse led to a tragic ending when, according to Melissa, Roswell tried to strangle her and she defended herself by striking him with a piece of firewood. Roswell died of the resulting skull fracture four days later. On the first day of trial, Lincoln conferred with Melissa during a break, but when court resumed, Melissa was nowhere to be found—and was never seen again in Metamora. When asked if he knew anything about her absence, Lincoln allegedly quipped that “she wanted to know where she could get a good drink of water and I told her there was mighty good water in Tennessee!” Don’t miss this full-day seminar from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 that examines the Melissa Goings case in the very courthouse where Lincoln was present.

Topics include:

• An examination of the Goings case and Lincoln’s participation in it;
• A look at family law cases in Lincoln’s time, as well as Lincoln’s experience in this area of law;
• The development of civil and criminal law protections to prevent domestic violence and provide defenses in certain criminal cases, including domestic violence orders of protection and battered spouse syndrome;
• The ethical issues that can arise when representing a family or criminal law client, including reliance on advice of counsel, lawyer-client privilege, and duty to report domestic violence or child abuse; and
• An exploration of the influence that Lincoln’s law practice has on the Eighth Judicial Circuit today.

The program is presented by the Illinois State Bar Association and co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Association. It qualifies for 5.75 hours MCLE credit, including 2.5 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, and Legal Ethics PMCLE (subject to approval).

Learn more and register.