Hiring a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Illinois
Pedestrian right-of-way rules in Illinois, the deadline to sue, how lawyers usually charge (contingency fees), 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
| Pedestrian right-of-way | Where there are no working traffic signals, drivers must stop and yield to a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk who is on the driver's half of the road or approaching closely from the other half. Drivers may not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian. Pedestrians crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield to vehicles, may cross only in a marked crosswalk between adjacent signalized intersections, and must not suddenly step into the path of a vehicle too close to stop. Read on ilga.gov on 2026-10-28. Source: 625 ILCS 5/11-1002, 11-1003 |
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| Fault rule | Modified comparative fault (51% bar). In negligence and strict product liability cases for bodily injury, death or property damage, a plaintiff whose fault is more than 50% of the cause recovers nothing. A plaintiff whose fault is 50% or less recovers damages reduced by his or her share of fault. No fault may be attributed to a plaintiff suing over childhood sexual abuse. Source: 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 |
| Deadline to sue | A lawsuit for injury to the person (and for false imprisonment or malicious prosecution) must be filed within 2 years after the cause of action accrued. Claims for damages from first degree murder or a Class X felony, where the perpetrator is convicted, are excluded from this limit. Source: 735 ILCS 5/13-202 |
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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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.