To better identify and understand where legal deserts exist, the ARDC is introducing updated questions for the 2026 registration cycle. These new questions are designed to capture more accurate data about the legal profession in Illinois and illuminate hidden gaps in access to justice across the state. The ARDC’s effort is part of a broader push by the Illinois Supreme Court and justice system stakeholders to strengthen the legal infrastructure in underserved communities. Learn more 

Illinois attorneys can now register for the upcoming 2026 registration year on the ARDC registration portal. Please select 'Register Online Today!' During the registration process, lawyers can submit status change requests that will take effect on January 1, 2026, if all requirements are met. For immediate status change requests or to complete the current year (2025) registration requirements, please contact the registration department at registration@iardc.org.

The ARDC is pleased to announce a new website feature: “Ethics Inquiry Question of the Month.”  This feature will highlight an interesting question posed to the ARDC that month through the ARDC’s Ethics Inquiry Program, which is now in its 30^th year of assisting lawyers and members of the public with general questions about lawyers’ professional responsibilities.  ARDC Rules 601 through 606 contain information about the Ethics Inquiry Program. 

 The Ethics Inquiry Program cannot and does not provide legal advice to callers.  ARDC attorneys help callers with research assistance so callers can reach their own informed conclusions and guide their conduct. Read more.

Submitted to the Illinois Supreme Court on April 22, 2025, this detailed report offers a wealth of information about the legal profession, regulatory actions, and key advancements within our legal community. Read more. 

The ARDC is pleased to announce that the Illinois Supreme Court has approved the ARDC’s new strategic plan, which includes a revised mission statement, its vision statement, and its set of organizational values. The strategic plan reflects the ARDC’s efforts to evolve as an organization in these dynamic times – so as to remain a vital resource for both lawyers and the public. It outlines a path forward that is grounded in three key areas of focus: evolving and enhancing the ARDC’s programs, services, and reputation; elevating confidence in the legal profession; and building an innovative and adaptive organization.  

The ARDC’s new mission statement is: “The ARDC preserves and advances the integrity of the legal profession through attorney registration and education, public outreach, restorative services, and, when necessary, attorney discipline.” This revised mission shifts the ARDC’s focus from primarily discipline to a more balanced approach designed to assist lawyers in practicing more effectively and ethically, while still protecting the public, and to restorative justice efforts.  

Complementing the new mission statement is the ARDC’s vision statement: “To shape a profession where all lawyers act ethically and with integrity.” The ARDC is committed to fostering a legal profession that is trusted, ethical, and dedicated to serving the public.  

The ARDC is implementing four core values to guide its work: accountability, empathy, open-mindedness, and pioneering excellence. These are the mindsets that the ARDC believes are essential to achieving its mission and vision.  

You can find the full strategic plan here.

           Effective October 1, 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court amended Illinois Supreme Court Rule 756(a)(1) to eliminate the discounted $121 registration fee for lawyers admitted less than three full years. Prior to the amendment, a lawyer admitted in 2024 would pay no registration fee for 2024 and 2025, would pay $121 per year for 2026 and 2027, and would pay the full registration fee, $385, for 2028. Under the amendment, a lawyer admitted in 2024 will pay no registration fee for 2024 and 2025, and will pay the full fee of $385 for 2026. 

             There are important reasons for the amendment. While the prior rule rested in part on the assumption that the discounted $121 fee would provide some economic relief to early career lawyers, data reveals that most of those lawyers are finding employment with firms or corporations that likely cover the lawyers’ registration fees. (For lawyers for whom the $385 fee presents an undue economic hardship, Supreme Court Rule 756(a)(4) provides a framework by which the registration fee may be waived.) Additionally, other Supreme Court entities that service Illinois lawyers and the public, like the Lawyers Trust Fund, the Lawyers’ Assistance Program, the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, the Client Protection Program, and the Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, receive a portion of an active attorney’s full fee payment of $385. They received no portion of the $121 discounted fee. The amendment puts those entities in an improved financial position for the important work they do. Finally, the revenue increase provided by the amendment will work to forestall any across-the-board registration fee increase. Illinois attorney registration fees have not been raised since 2015.