99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB2735

 

Introduced 2/16/2016, by Sen. Michael Noland

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Uniform Collaborative Law Act. Defines terms. Provides that the provisions of the Act are applicable to collaborative law participation agreements that meet the requirements of the Act signed on or after the effective date of the Act. Contains provisions concerning: requirements of collaborative law agreements; the beginning and conclusion of the collaborative law process; proceedings before a tribunal; disqualification of collaborative lawyers; disclosure of information; standards of professional responsibility and mandatory reporting; confidentiality; privileges; the authority of a tribunal if a collaborative agreement does not meet the requirements of the Act; uniformity of application and construction; and the Act's relation to the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act.


LRB099 18363 HEP 42738 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2735LRB099 18363 HEP 42738 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Uniform Collaborative Law Act.
 
6    Section 2. Definitions. In this Act:
7    (1) "Collaborative law communication" means a statement,
8whether oral or in a record, or verbal or nonverbal, that:
9        (A) is made to conduct, participate in, continue, or
10    reconvene a collaborative law process; and
11        (B) occurs after the parties sign a collaborative law
12    participation agreement and before the collaborative law
13    process is concluded.
14    (2) "Collaborative law participation agreement" means an
15agreement by persons to participate in a collaborative law
16process.
17    (3) "Collaborative law process" means a procedure intended
18to resolve a collaborative matter without intervention by a
19tribunal in which persons:
20        (A) sign a collaborative law participation agreement;
21    and
22        (B) are represented by collaborative lawyers.
23    (4) "Collaborative lawyer" means a lawyer who represents a

 

 

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1party in a collaborative law process.
2    (5) "Collaborative matter" means a dispute, transaction,
3claim, problem, or issue for resolution, including a dispute,
4claim, or issue in a proceeding, which is described in a
5collaborative law participation agreement and arises under the
6family or domestic relations law of this State, including:
7        (A) marriage, divorce, dissolution, annulment, and
8    property distribution;
9        (B) child custody, visitation, and parenting time;
10        (C) alimony, maintenance, and child support;
11        (D) adoption;
12        (E) parentage; and
13        (F) premarital, marital, and post-marital agreements.
14    (6) "Law firm" means:
15        (A) lawyers who practice law together in a partnership,
16    professional corporation, sole proprietorship, limited
17    liability company, or association; and
18        (B) lawyers employed in a legal services organization,
19    or the legal department of a corporation or other
20    organization.
21    (7) "Nonparty participant" means a person, other than a
22party and the party's collaborative lawyer, that participates
23in a collaborative law process.
24    (8) "Party" means a person that signs a collaborative law
25participation agreement and whose consent is necessary to
26resolve a collaborative matter.

 

 

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1    (9) "Person" means an individual, corporation, business
2trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company,
3association, joint venture, public corporation, government or
4governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any
5other legal or commercial entity.
6    (10) "Proceeding" means:
7        (A) a judicial, administrative, arbitral, or other
8    adjudicative process before a tribunal, including related
9    prehearing and post-hearing motions, conferences, and
10    discovery; or
11        (B) a legislative hearing or similar process.
12    (11) "Prospective party" means a person that discusses with
13a prospective collaborative lawyer the possibility of signing a
14collaborative law participation agreement.
15    (12) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a
16tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other
17medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.
18    (13) "Related to a collaborative matter" means involving
19the same parties, transaction or occurrence, nucleus of
20operative fact, dispute, claim, or issue as the collaborative
21matter.
22    (14) "Sign" means, with present intent to authenticate or
23adopt a record:
24        (A) to execute or adopt a tangible symbol; or
25        (B) to attach to or logically associate with the record
26    an electronic symbol, sound, or process.

 

 

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1    (15) "Tribunal" means:
2        (A) a court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or
3    other body acting in an adjudicative capacity which, after
4    presentation of evidence or legal argument, has
5    jurisdiction to render a decision affecting a party's
6    interests in a matter; or
7        (B) a legislative body conducting a hearing or similar
8    process.
 
9    Section 3. Applicability. This Act applies to a
10collaborative law participation agreement that meets the
11requirements of Section 4 signed on or after the effective date
12of this Act.
 
13    Section 4. Collaborative law participation agreement;
14requirements.
15    (a) A collaborative law participation agreement must:
16        (1) be in a record;
17        (2) be signed by the parties;
18        (3) state the parties' intention to resolve a
19    collaborative matter through a collaborative law process
20    under this Act;
21        (4) describe the nature and scope of the matter;
22        (5) identify the collaborative lawyer who represents
23    each party in the process; and
24        (6) contain a statement by each collaborative lawyer

 

 

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1    confirming the lawyer's representation of a party in the
2    collaborative law process.
3    (b) Parties may agree to include in a collaborative law
4participation agreement additional provisions not inconsistent
5with this Act.
 
6    Section 5. Beginning and concluding collaborative law
7process.
8    (a) A collaborative law process begins when the parties
9sign a collaborative law participation agreement.
10    (b) A tribunal may not order a party to participate in a
11collaborative law process over that party's objection.
12    (c) A collaborative law process is concluded by a:
13        (1) resolution of a collaborative matter as evidenced
14    by a signed record;
15        (2) resolution of a part of the collaborative matter,
16    evidenced by a signed record, in which the parties agree
17    that the remaining parts of the matter will not be resolved
18    in the process; or
19        (3) termination of the process.
20    (d) A collaborative law process terminates:
21        (1) when a party gives notice to other parties in a
22    record that the process is ended;
23        (2) when a party:
24            (A) begins a proceeding related to a collaborative
25        matter without the agreement of all parties; or

 

 

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1            (B) in a pending proceeding related to the matter:
2                (i) initiates a pleading, motion, order to
3            show cause, or request for a conference with the
4            tribunal;
5                (ii) requests that the proceeding be put on the
6            tribunal's active calendar; or
7                (iii) takes similar action requiring notice to
8            be sent to the parties; or
9        (3) except as otherwise provided by subsection (g),
10    when a party discharges a collaborative lawyer or a
11    collaborative lawyer withdraws from further representation
12    of a party.
13    (e) A party's collaborative lawyer shall give prompt notice
14to all other parties in a record of a discharge or withdrawal.
15    (f) A party may terminate a collaborative law process with
16or without cause.
17    (g) Notwithstanding the discharge or withdrawal of a
18collaborative lawyer, a collaborative law process continues,
19if not later than 30 days after the date that the notice of the
20discharge or withdrawal of a collaborative lawyer required by
21subsection (e) is sent to the parties:
22        (1) the unrepresented party engages a successor
23    collaborative lawyer; and
24        (2) in a signed record:
25            (A) the parties consent to continue the process by
26        reaffirming the collaborative law participation

 

 

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1        agreement;
2            (B) the agreement is amended to identify the
3        successor collaborative lawyer; and
4            (C) the successor collaborative lawyer confirms
5        the lawyer's representation of a party in the
6        collaborative process.
7    (h) A collaborative law process does not conclude if, with
8the consent of the parties, a party requests a tribunal to
9approve a resolution of the collaborative matter or any part
10thereof as evidenced by a signed record.
11    (i) A collaborative law participation agreement may
12provide additional methods of concluding a collaborative law
13process.
 
14    Section 6. Proceedings pending before tribunal; status
15report.
16    (a) Persons in a proceeding pending before a tribunal may
17sign a collaborative law participation agreement to seek to
18resolve a collaborative matter related to the proceeding. The
19parties shall file promptly with the tribunal a notice of the
20agreement after it is signed. Subject to subsection (c) and
21Sections 7 and 8, the filing operates as an application for a
22stay of the proceeding.
23    (b) The parties shall file promptly with the tribunal
24notice in a record when a collaborative law process concludes.
25The stay of the proceeding under subsection (a) is lifted when

 

 

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1the notice is filed. The notice may not specify any reason for
2termination of the process.
3    (c) A tribunal in which a proceeding is stayed under
4subsection (a) may require the parties and collaborative
5lawyers to provide a status report on the collaborative law
6process and the proceeding. A status report may include only
7information on whether the process is ongoing or concluded. It
8may not include a report, assessment, evaluation,
9recommendation, finding, or other communication regarding a
10collaborative law process or collaborative law matter.
11    (d) A tribunal may not consider a communication made in
12violation of subsection (c).
13    (e) A tribunal shall provide parties notice and an
14opportunity to be heard before dismissing a proceeding in which
15a notice of collaborative process is filed based on delay or
16failure to prosecute.
 
17    Section 7. Emergency order. During a collaborative law
18process, a tribunal may issue emergency orders to protect the
19health, safety, welfare, or interest of a party or person
20identified as protected in Section 201 of the Illinois Domestic
21Violence Act of 1986.
 
22    Section 8. Approval of agreement by tribunal. A tribunal
23may approve an agreement resulting from a collaborative law
24process. An agreement resulting from the collaborative law

 

 

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1process shall be presented to a tribunal for approval if the
2agreement is to be enforceable by the courts, an administrative
3agency, or any other tribunal.
 
4    Section 9. Disqualification of collaborative lawyer and
5lawyers in associated law firm.
6    (a) Participation in a collaborative law process is a
7voluntary act. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c),
8a collaborative lawyer is disqualified from appearing before a
9tribunal to represent a party in a proceeding related to the
10collaborative matter.
11    (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), a
12lawyer in a law firm with which the collaborative lawyer is
13associated is disqualified from appearing before a tribunal to
14represent a party in a proceeding related to the collaborative
15matter if the collaborative lawyer is disqualified from doing
16so under subsection (a).
17    (c) A collaborative lawyer or a lawyer in a law firm with
18which the collaborative lawyer is associated may represent a
19party:
20        (1) to ask a tribunal to approve an agreement resulting
21    from the collaborative law process; or
22        (2) to seek or defend an emergency order to protect the
23    health, safety, welfare, or interest of a party or person
24    identified in Section 201 of the Illinois Domestic Violence
25    Act of 1986 if a successor lawyer is not immediately

 

 

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1    available to represent that person.
2    (d) If subsection (c)(2) applies, a collaborative lawyer,
3or lawyer in a law firm with which the collaborative lawyer is
4associated, may represent a party or person identified in
5Section 201 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 only
6until the person is represented by a successor lawyer or
7reasonable measures are taken to protect the health, safety,
8welfare, or interest of the person.
 
9    Section 10. (Blank).
 
10    Section 11. (Blank).
 
11    Section 12. Disclosure of information. Voluntary informal
12disclosure of information related to a matter is a defining
13characteristic of the collaborative law process. Except as
14provided by law other than this Act, during the collaborative
15law process, on the request of another party, a party shall
16make timely, full, candid, and informal disclosure of
17information related to the collaborative matter without formal
18discovery. A party also shall update promptly previously
19disclosed information that has materially changed. The parties
20may define the scope of disclosure during the collaborative law
21process.
 
22    Section 13. Standards of professional responsibility and

 

 

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1mandatory reporting not affected. This Act does not affect:
2        (1) the professional responsibility obligations and
3    standards applicable to a lawyer or other licensed
4    professional; or
5        (2) the obligation of a person to report abuse or
6    neglect, abandonment, or exploitation of a child or adult
7    under the law of this State.
 
8    Section 14. Appropriateness of collaborative law process.
9Before a prospective party signs a collaborative law
10participation agreement, a prospective collaborative lawyer
11shall:
12        (1) assess with the prospective party factors
13    reasonable under the circumstances related to whether a
14    collaborative law process is appropriate for the
15    prospective party's matter;
16        (2) provide the prospective party with information
17    that the lawyer reasonably believes is sufficient for the
18    party to make an informed decision about the material
19    benefits and risks of a collaborative law process as
20    compared to the material benefits and risks of other
21    reasonably available alternatives for resolving the
22    proposed collaborative matter, such as litigation,
23    mediation, arbitration, or expert evaluation; and
24        (3) advise the prospective party that:
25            (A) after signing an agreement if a party initiates

 

 

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1        a proceeding or seeks tribunal intervention in a
2        pending proceeding related to the collaborative
3        matter, the collaborative law process terminates;
4            (B) participation in a collaborative law process
5        is voluntary and any party has the right to terminate
6        unilaterally a collaborative law process with or
7        without cause; and
8            (C) the collaborative lawyer and any lawyer in a
9        law firm with which the collaborative lawyer is
10        associated may not appear before a tribunal to
11        represent a party in a proceeding related to the
12        collaborative matter, except as authorized by Section
13        9(c).
 
14    Section 15. (Blank).
 
15    Section 16. Confidentiality of collaborative law
16communication. A collaborative law communication is
17confidential to the extent agreed by the parties in a signed
18record or as provided by law of this State other than this Act.
 
19    Section 17. Privilege against disclosure for collaborative
20law communication; admissibility; discovery.
21    (a) Subject to Sections 18 and 19, a collaborative law
22communication is privileged under subsection (b), is not
23subject to discovery, and is not admissible in evidence.

 

 

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1    (b) In a proceeding, the following privileges apply:
2        (1) A party may refuse to disclose, and may prevent any
3    other person from disclosing, a collaborative law
4    communication.
5        (2) A nonparty participant may refuse to disclose, and
6    may prevent any other person from disclosing, a
7    collaborative law communication of the nonparty
8    participant.
9    (c) Evidence or information that is otherwise admissible or
10subject to discovery does not become inadmissible or protected
11from discovery solely because of its disclosure or use in a
12collaborative law process.
 
13    Section 18. Waiver and preclusion of privilege.
14    (a) A privilege under Section 17 may be waived in a record
15or orally during a proceeding if it is expressly waived by all
16parties and, in the case of the privilege of a nonparty
17participant, it is also expressly waived by the nonparty
18participant.
19    (b) A person that makes a disclosure or representation
20about a collaborative law communication which prejudices
21another person in a proceeding may not assert a privilege under
22Section 17, but this preclusion applies only to the extent
23necessary for the person prejudiced to respond to the
24disclosure or representation.
 

 

 

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1    Section 19. Limits of privilege.
2    (a) There is no privilege under Section 17 for a
3collaborative law communication that is:
4        (1) available to the public under the Freedom of
5    Information Act or made during a session of a collaborative
6    law process that is open, or is required by law to be open,
7    to the public;
8        (2) a threat or statement of a plan to inflict bodily
9    injury or commit a crime of violence;
10        (3) intentionally used to plan a crime, commit or
11    attempt to commit a crime, or conceal an ongoing crime or
12    ongoing criminal activity; or
13        (4) in an agreement resulting from the collaborative
14    law process, evidenced by a record signed by all parties to
15    the agreement.
16    (b) The privileges under Section 17 for a collaborative law
17communication do not apply to the extent that a communication
18is:
19        (1) sought or offered to prove or disprove a claim or
20    complaint of professional misconduct or malpractice
21    arising from or related to a collaborative law process; or
22        (2) sought or offered to prove or disprove abuse,
23    neglect, abandonment, or exploitation of a child or adult,
24    unless a child protective services agency or adult
25    protective services agency is a party to or otherwise
26    participates in the process.

 

 

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1    (c) There is no privilege under Section 17 if a tribunal
2finds, after a hearing in camera, that the party seeking
3discovery or the proponent of the evidence has shown the
4evidence is not otherwise available, the need for the evidence
5substantially outweighs the interest in protecting
6confidentiality, and the collaborative law communication is
7sought or offered in:
8        (1) a court proceeding involving a felony or
9    misdemeanor; or
10        (2) a proceeding seeking rescission or reformation of a
11    contract arising out of the collaborative law process or in
12    which a defense to avoid liability on the contract is
13    asserted.
14    (d) If a collaborative law communication is subject to an
15exception under subsection (b) or (c), only the part of the
16communication necessary for the application of the exception
17may be disclosed or admitted.
18    (e) Disclosure or admission of evidence excepted from the
19privilege under subsection (b) or (c) does not make the
20evidence or any other collaborative law communication
21discoverable or admissible for any other purpose.
22    (f) The privileges under Section 17 do not apply if the
23parties agree in advance in a signed record, or if a record of
24a proceeding reflects agreement by the parties, that all or
25part of a collaborative law process is not privileged. This
26subsection does not apply to a collaborative law communication

 

 

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1made by a person that did not receive actual notice of the
2agreement before the communication was made.
 
3    Section 20. Authority of tribunal in case of noncompliance.
4    (a) If an agreement fails to meet the requirements of
5Section 4, or a lawyer fails to comply with Section 14, a
6tribunal may nonetheless find that the parties intended to
7enter into a collaborative law participation agreement if they:
8        (1) signed a record indicating an intention to enter
9    into a collaborative law participation agreement; and
10        (2) reasonably believed they were participating in a
11    collaborative law process.
12    (b) If a tribunal makes the findings specified in
13subsection (a), and the interests of justice require, the
14tribunal may:
15        (1) enforce an agreement evidenced by a record
16    resulting from the process in which the parties
17    participated;
18        (2) apply the disqualification provisions of Sections
19    5, 6, and 9; and
20        (3) apply a privilege under Section 17.
 
21    Section 21. Uniformity of application and construction. In
22applying and construing this uniform Act, consideration must be
23given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect
24to its subject matter among states that enact it.
 

 

 

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1    Section 22. Relation to electronic signatures in global and
2national commerce act. This Act modifies, limits, and
3supersedes the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and
4National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7001, et seq., but
5does not modify, limit, or supersede Section 101(c) of that
6Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7001(c), or authorize electronic
7delivery of any of the notices described in Section 103(b) of
8that Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7003(b).
 
9    Section 23. (Blank).
 
10    Section 24. (Blank).
 
11    Section 25. Authority of Supreme Court. This Act is subject
12to the supervisory authority of the Supreme Court.