Ethics & Professional Responsibility

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Erika Harold and Shermin Kruse at the 2026 Future Is Now conference
Erika Harold and Shermin Kruse at the 2026 Future Is Now conference

Key Points

  • Empathy is more than feeling—it can involve thinking about and understanding others’ thoughts and emotions
  • Lawyers can better serve clients and support colleagues by knowing when to exercise different types of empathy, including emotional, cognitive, and stoic empathy
  • Different practice and

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Key points
  • AI notetakers, transcription tools, and meeting summaries can record and store attorney-client conversations, raising confidentiality and privilege risks.
  • Lawyers should address AI recording and transcription in engagement agreements, including consent, limitations, and review expectations.
  • When AI notetakers are used in client meetings, lawyers should inform clients of the risks and review any AI-generated

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AI Innovation and Governance, Future Is Now 2026
Lawyers are under pressure to modernize the way they deliver legal services without sacrificing the trust, judgment, and professionalism that define the profession. Clients expect clearer communication, more transparency around costs, and a smoother experience at every step of the matter. At the same time, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are reshaping how legal

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Michelle Sanders, Macon County Public Defender’s Office (Source: Michelle Sanders).
Michelle Sanders, Macon County Public Defender’s Office (Source: Michelle Sanders).

Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism in their careers.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke to Michelle Sanders, Chief Public Defender for the Macon County Public Defender’s Office.
When Michelle began practicing law in 2007, she served as

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michelle m. kohut
Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism in their careers.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke to Michelle M. Kohut, a Partner at Corboy & Demetrio in Chicago.
Michelle’s primary practice area is plaintiff’s personal injury and workers’ compensation.
Michelle is active in several bar associations, including the

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Remember back in 2023 when everyone like me posted about the Mata v. Avianca case, which seemed to be the first (or at least, the first to earn national attention) case in which lawyers filed briefs with citations hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence. The lawyers ended up sanctioned, some of my nerd friends got a…

evolution of legal professionalism trisha rich judge alicia washington kathy pine
Our Commissioner Spotlight series highlights the Illinois judges, lawyers, and educators who have been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as Commissioners for the Commission on Professionalism.
These individuals are selected for their commitment to professionalism and contributions to the bar and their communities. During their term, they provide essential support and guidance

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in defense of the handwritten card lighthouse
A photo I recently took of the Friends of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse on Lake Michigan

The image on the front of the card was a white lighthouse beaming against an orangey sunset and darkening lake. Although metaphors associated with lighthouses can seem almost overused, they capture the role this person played during an important

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