The ARDC has filed a complaint against an Illinois lawyer alleging that he plagiarized an opinion letter by another lawyer. A client requested an opinion letter on gaming law. I have removed the names of the lawyers involved because these are charges and they have not been proven. The original complaint can be found on the ARDC website.
Filed: May 21, 2026 | Rule Charged: Illinois RPC 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit, or Misrepresentation
Background
Respondent is a Chicago attorney licensed since 1993.
The Alleged Misconduct
In May 2024, an online gaming company retained Respondent to provide a written legal opinion analyzing federal laws applicable to its product, for a $5,000 flat fee. He delivered an initial seven-page opinion. The client then requested a revised opinion adding a state-by-state analysis of gaming laws, for an additional $2,500, plus a $1,500 certificate of counsel attesting to the opinion’s applicability.
Rather than authoring the state-by-state analysis himself, Respondent obtained a 181-page confidential legal opinion written in 2023 by a lawyer with Duane Morris LLP for a different client. That document was marked both confidential/attorney work product and copyright Duane Morris 2023.
Respondent then systematically stripped the Duane Morris identifying information — removing the firm’s letterhead, deleting copyright notations on every page, substituting his own name and his client’s name for the name of the Duane Morris lawyer, and replacing the Duane Morris lawyer’s signature with his own — and delivered it to his client as his own original work product on June 12, 2024. He simultaneously executed a certification representing the opinion as the work of The Casino Law Group.
Key Aggravating Facts
- Respondent knew the opinion would be passed to the client’s banks and payment processors, who would rely on it to assess the legality of the client’s product
- He never sought Duane Morris’ permission to use the opinion
- The deliberate, systematic removal of identifying information demonstrates knowing and intentional conduct
Charge
A single count of dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation under Illinois RPC 8.4(c), premised on both the false representations of authorship and the plagiarism of the Duane Morris opinion.
Relief Sought
Referral to a Hearing Board panel for findings of fact and a discipline recommendation.
Comments: Plagiarism is easy to prove. You just line up the two documents and compare them. We all make mistakes, but please don’t rush your work product. Rushing to complete an assignment is always a mistake. Take your time. Do your best. Or decline the matter if you are not able to do it. Charging him with “dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation” under Rule 8.4(c) is harsh, as lawyers commonly copy other legal work when writing pleadings.
Edward X. Clinton, Jr.