CBA Record July-August 2021

CBA RECORD

A fter 19 years and some 125 columns, the CBA Record’s resident legal ethicist, John Levin, takes his final bow in this issue. His columns, as long-time readers can testify, have been insightful, well-reasoned, and seamlessly crafted. And fortunately for me, Levin consistently submitted his columns several weeks before deadline, sweet nirvana for any editor. Levin followed the legendary George W. Overton, Jr., who penned the column from the inception of the CBA Record in 1987 until he retired in 2003. Overton was a key participant in rewriting the Illinois rules of conduct for both lawyers and judges and was an authority on disciplinary matters. Following Overton could have been daunting, but not for Levin. He made the column his own early on and, in the process, educated members on the details and intricacies associated with legal ethics and professionalism. After reading his column, I often found myself saying, “That’s interesting and good to know.” Coming up with a topic never seemed to trouble Levin. He discussed such varied matters as the obligation to report a mentally impaired lawyer, where lawyers can get advice on ethics questions, the pitfalls of emails, the tension between a fair trial and free speech, preparing for retirement, advertising, mentoring, the increasing impact of technology on ethics, and scores more. No topic was too difficult or too complex. And he showed a knack for keeping his writing both thoughtful and straightforward at the same time. Many lines from Legal Ethics are worth repeating. Here are some of my favorites: “We live in a world in which the ease and speed of communication may sometimes outreach the speed of our thought.” (May 2007) BY JUSTICE MICHAEL B. HYMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Thank You, John Levin, for 19 Years as Legal Ethics Columnist EDITOR’S BRIEFCASE

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Justice Michael B. Hyman Illinois Appellate Court ASSOCIATE EDITOR Anne Ellis Proactive Worldwide, Inc. SUMMARY JUDGMENTS EDITOR Daniel A. Cotter Howard and Howard Attorneys PLLC

YLS JOURNAL EDITORS Jacob B. Berger Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC Kaitlin King

Hart David Carson LLP Theodore Kontopoulos BKD LLP

Carolyn Amadon Samuel, Son & Co. Daniel J. Berkowitz Illinois Attorney General’s Office Amy Cook The Farmer Chef Alliance Nina Fain Janet Sugerman Schirn Family Trust Anthony F. Fata Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP Clifford Gately Hinshaw & Culbertson Jasmine Villaflor Hernandez Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Lynn Semptimphelter Kopon Kopon Airdo LLC John Levin Kathryn C. Liss DePaul University College of Law Bonnie McGrath Law Office of Bonnie McGrath Clare McMahon Law Office of Clare McMahon Pamela S. Menaker Clifford Law Offices Kathleen Dillon Narko Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Alexander Passo Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC Adam J. Sheppard Sheppard Law Firm, PC Richard Lee Stavins

“There is nothing anyone can do with an unpleasant person other than adopt enforceable rules and sanctions. The Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct and various court rules set a floor. There is nothing wrong with also adopting some higher goals.”(Nov. 2007) “Telling the client what the client wants to hear may seem good in the short-term, but in the long run it serves neither the client, the lawyer nor the justice system well.” (May 2008) “I would agree with Lincoln that it is better to find another career than ‘consent to be a knave.’” (Feb./Mar. 2009) “If a computer is programmed by an attorney with a decision tree that results in the computer arriving at a legal conclusion in the preparation of a document, it seems logical that the computer is practicing law (even if only as a surrogate for the program- mer).” (Oct. 2011)

Robbins, Saloman & Patt, Ltd. Rosemary Simota Thompson Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. Circuit Court of Cook County

THE CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION Sharon Nolan Director of Marketing

John Levin and his wife Gloria in front of the Taj Mahal.

4 July/August 2021