ARDC | Lawyer Registration

LAWYER REGISTRATION

Annual Registration Process | Removal From and Reinstatement to the Master Roll of Attorneys | Change of Attorney’s Registration Address | Download Change of Registration Address Form | Attorney’s Request For Written Verification of Status | Download Request For Written Verification of Status Form | Changing From Rule 770 Inactive Status | Requesting Duplicate Identification Card | Admission to Practice Law | Attorney's Request for Name Change | Professional Service Entities and Associations | Rule 756(j) Pro Bono Authorization Forms | Contact the Registration Department

LAW FIRM REPORTS OF FIRM CONTRIBUTIONS TO ORGANIZATIONS
THAT PROVIDE PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES

Newly amended Rule 756(f) requires lawyers to report whether they have provided pro bono legal services or made monetary contributions to organizations that provide or support pro bono legal services. The Committee Comments to the rule state that the report is intended to serve as an annual reminder to the lawyers of Illinois that pro bono legal service is an integral part of a lawyer’s professionalism. That being personal to each lawyer, compliance with the rule requires that each lawyer complete this section of the registration form, whether or not the firm is submitting a Unified Report for trust account and malpractice insurance information.

Nevertheless, firms frequently make contributions to qualifying organizations on behalf of an entire firm, and questions have arisen as to how such contributions should be reported.

Firms Submitting A Unified Trust Account and Malpractice Report. For firms that are already submitting a Unified Report of malpractice insurance and trust account information, that report may include a third section that identifies total firm contributions to organizations which provide legal services to persons of limited means or which contribute financial support to such an organization. Alternatively, any one attorney from the firm can include the firm contribution in his/her personal report or the firm could decide to divide the total of the firm contributions so as to have each attorney or several attorneys report portions of the firm total on their individual forms.

Each individual attorney must still complete the pro bono report on his/her own registration form. The individual attorney should report the amount of contributions he/she made individually and that portion of the firm’s contribution allocated to the attorney and answer “yes” to Question 2. An individual attorney who has not made a contribution separate and apart from the firm’s contribution may choose to be counted as having made a contribution due to the firm’s contribution. The attorney should answer “yes” and list the amount as $1. (We will not count that $1 amount in our aggregate amount, but the inclusion of an amount will allow our programming to process the registration.) If the attorney has not made a contribution and is not credited for any firm contribution, the attorney should answer “no” and leave the amount blank.

Firms Not Otherwise Submitting A Unified Report. Any other firm may report contributions made on behalf of the full firm by following these steps:

Contact ARDC Registrar Thomas Peters to obtain a firm identification number.
Send a separate letter, addressed to ARDC Registration, 130 East Randolph, Suite 1500, Chicago, Illinois 60601, from any representative of the firm stating that, in addition to any contributions reported by individual members of the firm on their own registration forms, the firm made contributions to organizations which provide legal services to persons of limited means or which contribute financial support to such an organization in a specified amount.
Remind each lawyer in the firm to complete the Pro Bono report section of the registration form to report services provided or contributions made by them individually. The individual attorney should report the amount of contributions he/she made individually and that portion of the firm’s contribution allocated to the attorney and answer “yes” to Question 2. An individual attorney who has not made a contribution separate and apart from the firm’s contribution may choose to be counted as having made a contribution due to the firm’s contribution. The attorney should answer “yes” and list the amount as $1. (We will not count that $1 amount in our aggregate amount, but the inclusion of an amount will allow our programming to process the registration.) If the attorney has not made a contribution and is not credited for any firm contribution, the attorney should answer “no” and leave the amount blank.

PLEASE NOTE: Rule 756(f) and an amendment to Rule 766 provide that information reported pursuant to this rule will be deemed confidential and that the information can be reported publicly only in the aggregate. An aggregate report allows the legal profession in Illinois to inform the public and Illinois policy makers about the actual scope of the voluntary contributions of Illinois lawyers to pro bono legal services. Neither that goal nor the stated purpose of the reporting obligation require the ARDC to retain the capacity to link the information to individual lawyers except to verify that each lawyer has made the report, and the ARDC will not link the information to individual lawyers except for that purpose. Thus, it should not matter who makes the report of firm contributions. However, for purposes of the accuracy of the aggregate information, it is important that contributions be reported only once, either by the firm or by an individual attorney in the firm or by several attorneys reporting portions of the contribution.