Hiring a Divorce or Family Lawyer in Illinois
How divorce lawyers in Illinois charge, the state's filing rules, how to check a lawyer's license, and free or low-cost family law help. 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
| Residency requirement | One spouse must have lived in Illinois, or been stationed in Illinois as a member of the armed services, for 90 days before the case is filed or before the court makes its finding. Source: 750 ILCS 5/401(a) |
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| Filing fee | Filing fees are set by each county's Circuit Clerk, and the respondent may also have to pay a fee to file an appearance in some counties. Sheriff's fees for service are extra. If you cannot afford the fees, you can ask to file for free or at a reduced cost by filing an Application for Waiver of Court Fees; an Illinois sheriff must honor a fee waiver order. Fee waiver forms: ilcourts.info/fee-waiver-forms. |
| Uncontested divorce | Illinois has a Joint Simplified Dissolution procedure. Both spouses must certify that: neither depends on the other for support (or both waive it) and both waive maintenance; residency and irreconcilable differences are met; no children were born or adopted during the marriage and the wife is not pregnant by the husband; the marriage lasted 8 years or less; neither owns real estate or retirement benefits (other than IRAs worth less than $10,000 combined); marital property is worth less than $50,000; combined gross income is under $60,000 and neither earns over $30,000; they have exchanged financial information and tax returns; and they have signed written agreements dividing assets over $100, debts, and any pets. Both must appear in court. Other agreed divorces are finished at a 'prove-up' hearing. Source: 750 ILCS 5/452, 5/453 |
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 |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | The Illinois Courts self-help page links to IllinoisLegalAid.org to apply for legal aid, Illinois Court Help for referrals and e-filing help, and resources for self-represented litigants. Illinois's LSC-funded legal aid organizations, which give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people, are Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Legal Aid Chicago and Prairie State Legal Services. LSC grantee list: https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/our-grantees |
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All legal help in Illinois · Do I need a lawyer?
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.