The national law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP today announced that it has received national and metropolitan recognition in the 2025 edition of the Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" Directory, which was released this morning.

The national law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is pleased to announce that 75 of the firm's lawyers have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, 30 Hinshaw lawyers were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

The U.S. law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is pleased to announce that Shelley Bethune, a Chicago-based attorney in the firm's Professional Responsibility, Professional Liability & Risk Management practice group, has been appointed the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Illinois Courts Commission (Commission). In this newly created role, Bethune will serve as the head of the agency and supervise its day-to-day operations. The appointment is effective June 1, 2022.

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.

Read Bloomberg Law's coverage of several panel recaps from Hinshaw's recently concluded Legal Malpractice and Risk Management (LMRM) Conference.

Matthew Henderson was recently quoted in a Bloomberg Law article that explores the use of advance conflict-of-interest waivers in retainer agreements and a recent trend of courts taking a more favorable view toward such waivers.

Save the date and plan to join us at the 22nd Annual Legal Malpractice & Risk Management Conference (LMRM). 

Join us for the industry's premier event focused on current and important developments in the law, litigation of legal malpractice claims, malpractice insurance, professional responsibility, and risk management strategies.

Hinshaw lawyer Joanna Storey will participate in a panel discussion titled "Hot Legal Ethics Topics," hosted by the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) on January 26, 2021. The panel will discuss thorny and timely legal ethics issues and offer practical tips for navigating them.

Navigating the ever changing waters of consumer privacy could become much more challenging if the “It's Your Data Act" (IYDA) is passed in New York. Some provisions of the proposed law may apply to any person or business, even law firms no matter how small, that collects any personal information of New York residents for the purpose of generating commercial or economic value.

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By: Dana A. Rice

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."

The Texas Court of Appeals held that when a plaintiff's claim against her former attorney properly is grounded in professional negligence, the plaintiff cannot also bring a breach of fiduciary duty claim against the attorney.

Previously, as the only state not to adopt some version of the American Bar Association's Model Rule 8.3, California has now finally joined the rest of the nation. California's new Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3, which goes into effect August 1, 2023, establishes a duty to report the misconduct of other lawyers that "raises a substantial question as to the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects."

It seems as though every day, there is a story in the legal news about a well-known law firm facing a disqualification motion. While disqualification motions are being filed more frequently, that is only half the story[1].

When done correctly, fee-sharing arrangements between lawyers can be lucrative for lawyers while simultaneously maximizing the quality of legal representation for the client without increasing the cost. However, lawyers who do not strictly follow the ethical rules on fee sharing may be subject to bar discipline, unable to enforce their fee agreement, or even sued by the referred client if the matter is subsequently mishandled.

Ideally, the attorney-client relationship begins once a signed written engagement agreement is in place, which clearly outlines the clients who will be represented and the agreed scope of legal services. A properly drafted engagement agreement will document the expectations and obligations of both the attorney and the client. An engagement agreement, like any contract for services, reflects the "meeting of the minds" between the parties at the outset of the attorney-client relationship. In this sense, a well-crafted engagement agreement not only ensures compliance with the rules of professional conduct but also promotes client relations and helps protect against future legal malpractice claims.