Hiring a Business Lawyer in Illinois
How to form an LLC in Illinois, the state fees and yearly filings, how to check a lawyer's license, and the state bar's fee rules. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Illinois: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Contingent fees are allowed except where Rule 1.5(d) or other law prohibits them. A contingent fee agreement must be in a writing signed by the client and state how the fee is figured, including the percentage(s) the lawyer gets on settlement, trial or appeal, the litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery, and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. It must clearly tell the client about any expenses the client must pay whether or not the client wins. At the end, the lawyer must give the client a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, the client's share and how it was figured. Lawyers may not charge domestic relations fees contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of alimony, support or property settlement, or a contingent fee to represent a criminal defendant. Linked from the Illinois Courts rules page: https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/rules/supreme-court-rules?a=viii |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The ARDC's Client Protection Program, funded by Illinois lawyers' registration fees, reimburses clients who lost money or property through a lawyer's intentional dishonesty while acting as their lawyer or fiduciary, or who lost unearned fees when a lawyer died or went on disability inactive status. The lawyer must have been disciplined by the Illinois Supreme Court or have died, and you must have made reasonable efforts at civil remedies. Negligence, fee disputes and insured or bonded losses are not covered. Maximum: $150,000 per loss and $1,500,000 for all claims about one lawyer. File within three years of learning of the loss or within one year after the lawyer was disciplined or died, whichever is later. Filing is free. |
Illinois rules to know first
| How to form an LLC | LLCs must file formation documents, the Articles of Organization, with the Illinois Secretary of State (Business Services). Sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not register with the Secretary of State. |
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| LLC filing fee | Filing Articles of Organization with the Illinois Secretary of State costs $150 (10 business days) or $250 for 24-hour service. For an LLC able to establish a series, it is $400 (10 business days) or $500 (24-hour service). A payment processor fee is added to online transactions. |
| Registered agent | Every Illinois LLC must appoint and keep a registered agent in Illinois: either an individual who lives in Illinois or an entity authorized to transact business in Illinois. The registered office must be in Illinois, have a street address (a P.O. box alone is not accepted), and be the same as the agent's business address. Filing a change of registered agent or registered office costs $25. |
| Annual report | Illinois LLCs (and foreign LLCs admitted in Illinois) file an annual report with the Secretary of State within the 60 days before the first day of the LLC's anniversary month. The fee is $75 (plus $50 for each series with a certificate of designation). An LLC that has not filed before the first day of its anniversary month is declared delinquent and not in good standing; if it still has not filed by the first day of the second month after the anniversary month, the penalty is $100, plus $100 for each year or part of a year beginning with the second year of delinquency. |
| Operating agreement | The Illinois LLC Act defines the operating agreement as the agreement of all the members (including a sole member) about the relations among the members, managers and the LLC, "whether oral, in a record, implied, or in any combination thereof," so it does not have to be written. Source: 805 ILCS 180/1-5 |
| Closing an LLC | When an Illinois LLC has been wound up, it files a statement of termination giving its name, a post office address for mailing any process, and a statement that it has been terminated. The filing fee for a statement of termination is $5. Source: 805 ILCS 180/35-15, 50-10(b)(3) |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Illinois State Bar Association's Illinois Lawyer Finder lets you search an online directory of lawyers by area and field of law, or call for a referral matched to your location and type of legal problem. ISBA says you can "receive a 30-minute consultation with a lawyer in your area for no more than $25." Phone referrals: 217-525-5297, Monday-Friday 9:00-3:00. You are not obligated to hire the lawyer; discuss fees for further services. Phone referral page: https://www.isba.org/public/phonereferral |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) of the Supreme Court of Illinois runs the official Lawyer Search. Search by last name (with options for former names, exact or phonetic match) and optionally first name, status (such as authorized to practice), county, city, state or country. A Recent Status Changes tab lists lawyers whose status changed due to registration, MCLE non-compliance, or discipline or disability orders. ARDC: (312) 565-2600 (Chicago) or (217) 546-3523 (Springfield). Source: Illinois ARDC, Lawyer Search |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints (requests for investigation) about Illinois lawyers go to the ARDC. File online, with the downloadable form, or by letter, mail, fax or email to the Chicago office (130 E. Randolph Dr., Ste. 1500, Chicago, IL 60601-6219) or Springfield office (3161 W. White Oaks Dr., Ste. 301, Springfield, IL 62704). There is no fee. ARDC generally notifies you in writing within two weeks whether it will investigate; the lawyer gets a copy of the complaint, and most investigations conclude within 90 days. General dissatisfaction with fees usually is not grounds for discipline, though improper, fraudulent or unrefunded unearned fees can be. Disciplinary case records are searchable on the ARDC site. Phone: (312) 565-2600 or (800) 826-8625 in Illinois (Chicago); (217) 546-3523 or (800) 252-8048 in Illinois (Springfield). Discipline case research: https://iardc.org/DisciplinarySearch Source: Illinois ARDC, File a Complaint |
All legal help in Illinois · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.