What's the Law? 



Keeping the Business Enterprises of the Farm Bureau on Solid Legal Ground is one 



Chief Tasks of the Legal Department 



of the 



ade was 

 Harvey 

 liiK re- 

 ■f made 



ITS EASIER to keep out of trouble 

 than to get out after'.v^u are in. 

 This is one of the ifexinis of 

 Donald Kirkpatrick. general Vounsel of 

 the Illinois Asricullural Association. 

 F'or more than 14 year.s as director of 

 the I. A. A. legal department. ■Kirk" 

 has devoted his energies toward de- 

 veloping and keeping the many bu.^^i- 

 luss and co-operative enterprises of 

 (he 1. A. A and County Farm Bureaus 

 nn- .'^olid legal ground. 



■ What's the law on that." is a ques- 

 lliiii that bobs up freouently in all 

 sorts of business activities o^ farmers. 

 It has been Kirk's job not only to 

 answer the question but to find a legal 

 way to do what needed to be done in 

 serving the interests of organized I1U-, 

 nois farmers. 



One of the first tasks to which he set 

 him.self early in the life of the state as- 

 .■-ociation was to place on the statutes 

 1 f Illinois a modern, co-operative law 

 dearly defining the principles of true 

 co-operative organization, and paving 

 the way for establishing real cooper- 

 atives which fully protect the rights 

 and interests of members. The Illinois 

 Co-operative Act of 1923. sponsored by 

 the Illinois Agricultural A.ssociation. 

 was the result. And today hundreds of 

 successful co-operative associations, 

 '■riianized under this act. are operating 

 m Illinois to the great benefit of Farm 

 Bureau members. 



The legal department has drafted or 

 a^s'slid in drafting a great many other 

 measures a number of which have been 

 enacted into law and are now among 

 llie Illinois statutes. 



The mass of de'ail of a leiiar nature 

 icnnected with the launching and op- 

 iration of the three I. A. A. insurance 

 companies, the state purchasinR or- 

 ■.;an!zation and the (ill affiliated county 

 service companies, the various mar- 

 lulini; institutions stale wide, county, 

 ^'iid local, and the parent a.s.sociation 

 ■ '■■elf including the 94 County Farm 

 Bureaus has called for great diligence 

 '>> the legal department. A special 

 Iviiowledge of co-operative law and co- 

 operative principles has enabled it to 

 'crve all these organizations well that 

 'Ikv may effectivelj- carry out the pur- 

 pose for which they were organized. 



Mr. Kirkpatrick has been ir.ore than 

 an adviser on legal problems connected' 

 Hith launching the hundreds of busi- 

 !Mss enterprises of the Farm Bureau 



Donald Kirkpatrick. general counsel 4nd director cf the legal department. 



in Illinois. He has taken an active part 

 in studying and analyzing the possible 

 fields of .service, and later in forming 

 and developing the various ctmipanies 

 and associations owned and ccmtrolled 

 by the Farm Bureau members of this 

 state. 



As legal counsel and secretary of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Service Compan.v 

 board which acts as general manager 

 of the various associated companies 

 and co-operative groups established jby 

 the I. A. A., he presents the service 

 company reports each month to the 

 board of directors of the parent organ- 

 ization. 



The many legal problems connecte<i 

 with .settlement of major auto acci- 

 dent claims, certain life insuranct 

 claims, contracts running between the 

 various corporate btidies, agents and 

 other individuals go to the legal de- 

 partment for the attentif)n of Mr. Kirk- 



patrick. Paul E. Mathias. and other as- 

 sistants. 



Obviously, the dtpartment does not 

 ha\»' tim«- to represent and serve in- 

 dividual memlxTs in their personal 

 matters and probU'iiis exc»-pt as these 

 are mergt!d with tho.se of other mem- 

 bers. The "act that it is illegal for a 

 corporation in this state to practice law 

 means that the legal A-partment may 

 serve only the group interests of Farm 

 Burtau meml>ers rather than their per- 

 sonal private interest.s. 



B<-cau.se of the close relation of most 

 transportation matters to law. the 

 tr.insportation and legal d«'partments 

 w<-re merged several years ago. T<'ch- 

 nical matters of transportation coh- 

 cerning ratt's. interests of members yf 

 public utilities aiul c<)llection of clairris 

 are being abl_\ handle<l and re|)resented 

 by C.. W. Baxter. 



(Cootnuied on page !•( 



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