Hiring a Lemon Law Lawyer in Illinois
The Illinois lemon law for new cars, the rules for used cars, where to file a complaint, how to check a lawyer's license, and free 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
| Lemon law for new cars | Illinois's New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act covers new passenger cars, light trucks under 8,000 pounds and recreational vehicles bought or leased (for at least a year) mainly for personal, family or household use. The "statutory warranty period" is one year or 12,000 miles after delivery, whichever comes first. A reasonable number of repair attempts is presumed if, within that period, the same defect was repaired four or more times and still exists, or the vehicle was out of service for repairs 30 or more business days. If the defect cannot be fixed, the manufacturer must provide a comparable replacement vehicle or take it back and refund the full purchase price or lease cost, including collateral charges (not including taxes), minus a reasonable allowance for use. |
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| Used cars | When a licensed dealer (or a public auction company) sells a used vehicle to a consumer, it may not disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability until 15 days or 500 miles after delivery, whichever comes first; the vehicle must work for ordinary transportation and be substantially free of power train defects. The consumer must notify the seller within 2 business days after that period ends, give the seller a chance to repair, and pay half the cost of the first two repairs, up to $100 per repair. This does not apply to vehicles with over 150,000 miles, branded rebuilt or flood titles, vehicles of 8,000 pounds or more, antique or collector vehicles, or sales with an equal or better express warranty. Source: 815 ILCS 505/2L |
| How to make a lemon law claim | 1) Written notice: the presumption that the manufacturer had a reasonable number of repair attempts (4 or more repairs of the same problem, or 30 or more business days out of service, during the statutory warranty period) does not apply unless the manufacturer has received prior direct written notice from or on behalf of the consumer and has an opportunity to correct the defect. 2) Final repair attempt: no separate final-repair step is described beyond that opportunity to correct. 3) Arbitration: Illinois has no state-run lemon law arbitration program. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program that substantially follows federal rules (16 C.F.R. Part 703), and the seller gave the consumer adequate written notice of it (for example, in the written warranty), the consumer must use it first before the refund/replacement remedy applies. A consumer dissatisfied with the decision may then sue; the decision is admissible in court, and the time the dispute was pending in the program is added to the deadline to sue. 4) Deadline: any action under the lemon law must be started within 18 months after the vehicle was originally delivered to the consumer. Notice rule: https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/081503800K3.htm. Deadline: https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/081503800K6.htm. A person who proceeds and settles under this Act cannot bring a separate claim under the Uniform Commercial Code (815 ILCS 380/5). The statute does not mention a fee for the manufacturer's program. Source: 815 ILCS 380/3(h), 380/4, 380/6 |
| Where to file a consumer complaint | File a consumer complaint with the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, preferably through the online submission form; printable forms can also be mailed. The office offers informal dispute resolution (mediation) for consumer complaints but cannot represent individuals privately. Consumer hotlines: Chicago 1-800-386-5438, Springfield 1-800-243-0618. |
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 · 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.