Read how a team of Hinshaw attorneys collaborated to contribute six chapters in the 2025 edition of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) "Attorneys' Legal Liability" handbook.

A group of lawyers from Hinshaw's Lawyers for the Profession® practice group contributed six chapters to the latest edition of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education's (IICLE) Attorneys' Legal Liability handbook. The handbook—of which Hinshaw's Tom McGarry was the General Editor—addresses the professional responsibilities of Illinois attorneys. It includes in-depth discussions of topics such as attorney liability, malpractice, and conflicts of interests, and also offers best-practice guidance.

Hinshaw attorney Terry McAvoy had an article published in today's DRI Professional Perspectives newsletter. McAvoy discusses the recent Seventh Circuit decision in West Bend Mutual Ins. Co. v. Schumacher, a case in which the plaintiff, a worker's compensation insurer, had filed a legal malpractice action against former defense counsel alleging negligence for having admitted liability when defending a workers' compensation claim. He explains how the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal for failure to state a claim and held that the plaintiff failed to allege plausibly that it lost an actual, specific and meritorious defense in the underlying workers' compensation proceeding.

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP attorneys Terrence P. McAvoy and Kate G. Schnake will present "Three's Company: Navigating the Winding Road of the Insurer, Insured and Defense Counsel" at a West LegalEdcenter webcast on March 27th, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.This program will explore the triparte relationships between the insurer, insured and defense counsel. Topics include confidentiality and the attorney-client privilege. Additionally, ethical issues, such as dual representation and conflicts of interest, will be identified and addressed. The panelists will offer practical tips to avoid malpractice and ethical violations, giving concrete examples.For more information or to register for this event, please visit the West LegalEdcenter website.

In a legal malpractice action arising out of revisions to a client's estate plan, the appellate court considered whether an attorney has a duty to evaluate a client's mental capacity and, if so, whether the plaintiff alleged sufficient facts to show the defendants (a law firm and its attorneys) were aware of their client's disability at the time they provided legal services.

As we say goodbye to 2024, we are pleased to announce our 2024 Hinshaw Readers’ Choice Awards in the professional liability and legal ethics category. The following are the Top 5 posts receiving the highest levels of engagement from our readers in 2024 on topics ranging from financial elder abuse claims and bar advisory opinions to attorney disqualification motions.

The First District Appellate Court in Illinois affirmed the trial court's denial of a defendant law firm's motion to compel arbitration on the basis that the arbitration provision in the "Attorney-Client Agreement" entered into with plaintiff in the underlying personal injury action was procedurally unconscionable. The court ruled that plaintiff could not be held to an agreement to arbitrate a legal malpractice claim "without being informed about the scope and effect of the agreement."