CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation
The Chicago Bar Association and the CBF officially launched the Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation in October 2019 to help shape a better future for our profession, the public, and the justice system. The status quo in the consumer legal market is untenable for all involved—lawyers, the public, and the courts—and jeopardizes public confidence in and respect for our judicial system and the rule of law. The Task Force brought together a broad group of distinguished local and national stakeholders to tackle these issues.
Through an intensive, wide-ranging examination over a nine-month period, the Task Force explored, researched, and analyzed all possible solutions to the current market failure in the consumer and small business legal services market, ultimately proposing a comprehensive series of 11 recommendations for regulatory reform in Illinois. After a month-long public comment period, the Task Force refined its recommendations and submitted its final report to the Illinois Supreme Court on October 2, 2020. You can view the final task force report and recommendations, including all written feedback received during the public comment period, here. Short on time and looking for a quick overview of each recommendation? Click here to check out our Pocket Chat videos. Transcripts are available for every chat.
After the Task Force report was delivered to the Supreme Court, the Task Force requested that the Court defer consideration of our Recommendation #11 (further study of Rule 5.4 on law firm ownership) based on developments in Arizona and Utah on the issue of law firm ownership. These other states can provide some good, real-time feedback and data on these issues for our Court to consider.
If you have questions or comments regarding the report, please direct them to Bob Glaves, CBF Executive Director, at bglaves@chicagobarfoundation.org. If you are interested in viewing a recording of the virtual town hall hearing that took place on August 18, 2020, please click here. Looking to learn more about regulatory reform in Illinois and around the country? Check out this CLE hosted by the Chicago Bar Association.
The Supreme Court responded favorably to the Task Force report and most of the recommendations, and internal Supreme Court Committees have been tasked with providing further input and developing plans for execution of these proposals by early Fall. However, the Court for now deferred consideration of Task Force Recommendations #5 (Licensed Paralegal) and #6 (Advertising Rules).