The ARDC registration department receives a list of judges, law clerks and judicial staff from the Administrative Offices of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), Circuit Court of Cook County, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. If an attorney’s name is on a list received and in an exempted position pursuant to Rule 756(a)(3), an exemption will be applied.

Since most courts do not send the ARDC registration department the foregoing lists, it is necessary for all attorneys who believe they are entitled to an exemption to contact the ARDC registration department registration@iardc.org or (312) 565-2600 to inquire what documentation must be submitted for the exemption to be issued.

Often the ARDC registration department will require the lawyer to submit via email the lawyer’s name, ARDC registration number, date of birth, last four digits of the lawyer’s social security number, and proof of the lawyer’s employment in a position entitling them to an exemption under Rule 756(a)(3), such as a copy of the congratulation letter from the Chief Judge, a copy of the oath of office, a letter from the judge (on official letterhead) stating the attorney’s position, etc.

Generally, Illinois attorneys who serve as administrative law judges are not entitled to an exemption under Rule 756(a)(3).

Attorneys on active duty in the armed forces of the United States must request the registration fee exemption pursuant to Rule 756(a)(2).

To do so, please send an email to registration@iardc.org, including your name, ARDC registration number, date of birth, last four digits of your social security number and a copy of military orders reflecting your status as active duty and listing the branch of the military.

If you have forgotten your password, you may reset it here. You will be sent an email to your address on file with instructions on resetting your password.

If you have lost your username and cannot log into the online registration portal, you may retrieve it online at anytime here.

You will be required to provide identifying information, and your username will be presented to you.

Your attorney registration number can be found in the following places:

• Your ARDC ID card
• Online Registration Portal after logging in

If you cannot log into the online registration portal and have lost your ID card, please contact the registration department at registration@iardc.org. We can provide your attorney registration number and assist with login issues and missing ID cards.

No, you do not. Supreme Court Rule 756(e) requires that, as part of the annual registration process, you must report whether you carry malpractice coverage and, if so, the dates of coverage for the policy. Rule 756(g) provides that a lawyer will be deemed not registered for the year if the lawyer has failed to provide malpractice insurance information as required by Rule 756(e).

No, you do not. While Rule 756(f) does not require that Illinois lawyers provide pro bono services, the rule does require that Illinois lawyers disclose in their annual registration their pro bono service hours and monetary contributions. Thus, Rule 756(f) serves "as an annual reminder to the lawyers of Illinois that pro bono service is an integral part of a lawyer's professionalism". (Comment to Supreme Court Rule 756(f)). Information about volunteer opportunities is available on www.illinoislegalaid.org and more information about the Rule 756(f), including a list of organizations that are eligible for financial contributions under the rule, is available here.

Information reported pursuant to this Rule is deemed confidential, and can be reported publicly only in the aggregate. You must complete the Pro Bono section of the Registration Form or your registration will not be complete.

Most lawyers in private practice need to have a trust account because they handle client or third party funds at some point in the course of their practice. Lawyers should understand which funds are client and third-party funds that must be held in trust pursuant to Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15. While most would recognize that escrow funds or settlement funds must be deposited into a trust account, some do not realize the same is true for funds advanced by a client to pay filing fees, and for bond deposit refunds where the lawyer has agreed to retain only a portion of the refund as his fee and to pay over the balance to the client or the client's relative. And very importantly, Rule 1.15 requires that funds received to secure payment of legal fees and expenses be deposited in a client trust account, to be withdrawn by the lawyer only as fees are earned and expenses incurred.

See the Client Trust Account Handbook for a detailed discussion of what funds must be maintained in a trust account.

Supreme Court Rule 791(a)(1) provides that attorneys on inactive or retirement status pursuant to Supreme Court Rules 756(a)(5) or (a)(6), respectively, are exempt from MCLE requirements under certain circumstances. You can find more information at www.mcleboard.org.

Yes, attorneys returning to active status from inactive or retirement status, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 791(e), are required to complete the MCLE requirements. You can find more information at www.mcleboard.org.

To find out more about the different Illinois attorney registration statuses, consult the Statuses page on the ARDC Registration website. Rule 756 also outlines the statuses available to Illinois lawyers.

The current fee schedule can be found here.

If you wish to change your registration status, you may do so by clicking "LAWYER ACCOUNT" on the Lawyer Registration Home Page. After you login, please click either "Change Status" or "Register for 2026". If you have not registered for 2026, you will need to cycle through the pages in our online registration program until you reach the "Registration Status" page. If you are not given the option to change your status online, please send us a written notification of your requested status change by e-mail at registration@iardc.org.

If you have been removed from the master roll for failing to register and wish to correct any outstanding registration issues, please contact the ARDC Registration Department at registration@iardc.org. If you have been removed from the master roll due to MCLE non-compliance issues, please contact the MCLE Board at www.mcleboard.org.

Illinois attorneys on retirement status can transfer to active or inactive status, by doing the following:

1. Requesting a status change through the ARDC registration department’s online registration portal. See FAQ above – How do I change my attorney registration status?;
2. Registering online, which includes completing the questions regarding malpractice insurance, pro bono services, and trust account; and
3. Paying the annual registration fee for the chosen status, as well as a $25 a month reinstatement fee for each month on retirement status or, if applicable, a combination of a retirement and removed status, capped at $600. Fees can be paid online via credit card or ACH debit, or by sending in a check.

Assuming all registration requirements are satisfied, the majority of status change requests made by an attorney during the annual registration process in the fall, after the registration season for the upcoming year has opened, through January 1st of the following year, will go into effect on January 1st.

During this time, attorneys who would like their status change request to be processed immediatley, must contact the ARDC registration department at registration@iardc.org or (312) 565-2600. This is especially important if the status change requested is necessary for purposes of an MCLE exemption.

Assuming all registration requirements are satified, status change requests made by an attorney after January 1st but prior to the opening of the registration season for the upcoming year, will occur either immediately or within 72 hours of the request. Please contact the registration department at registration@iardc.org or (312) 565-2600 if you have questions or if your status has not changed within 72 hours of the request.

Illinois attorneys removed from the master roll for failing to register must fulfill all outstanding registration requirements, which may include answering the malpractice insurance, pro bono services, and trust account questions, and paying the annual registration fee. PMBR program completion may also be a requirement for some attorneys. In addition, attorneys removed for failing to register must pay a reinstatement fee of $25 a month for each month removed, capped at $600.

Removed attorneys, who wish to transfer to retirement status, or pro bono authorized status, need not pay a reinstatement fee at the time of transferring to such statuses. Yet, a reinstatement fee will be assessed at a later date if the attorney seeks to return to inactive or active status.

If the Illinois attorney was on active status prior to removal, they need not request a status change to return to active status from a removed status. For assistance with reinstatement, contact the registration department at registration@iardc.org or (312) 565-2600.

Attorneys who have been removed for MCLE non-compliance should consult the MCLE Board at mcleboard.org for more information on reinstatement. Here is an applicable FAQ from the MCLE Board’s website.

Removal for failing to register and MCLE non-compliance are two separate and independent reasons for removal. An attorney removed for both these reasons, must satisfy both their outstanding registration and MCLE oblgiations, including paying all necessary reinstatement fees, to be reinstated. Regardless of which requirement is satisfied first, reinstatement will not occur until the attorney satisfies both their registration and MCLE obligations.

Registration reinstatement fees accrue monthly, capped at $600.