Illinois State Bar Association Ethics Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of legal ethics opinions issued by the Illinois State Bar Association, with full citations and source links on every page.
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What must an Illinois lawyer do when they learn that the lawyer who hired them on a matter has been removed from the Master Roll of Attorneys for MCLE noncompliance?
The opinion concludes the lawyer must first notify the hiring lawyer and may not continue working with the hiring lawyer unless reinstatement occurs; if the hiring lawyer is not reinstated, the lawyer…
May an Illinois lawyer affiliate with a for-profit client referral service that charges clients a fixed fee, splits the fee with the lawyer, offers a money-back guarantee, uses non-attorney actors in ads, and requires lawyer-client communications on its monitored online platform?
The opinion concludes no. The money-back guarantee is a prohibited paid recommendation (Rule 7.2(a)) and misleads about the lawyer's services (Rule 7.1); the lawyer-service fee split violates Rule 5.4…
Can a lawyer not licensed in Illinois represent an Illinois business on transactional and IP matters, and does associating with an Illinois lawyer cure any UPL concern?
The opinion concludes that a non-Illinois lawyer may advise an Illinois business under Rule 5.5(c) if one of its temporary-practice exceptions applies (notably 5.5(c)(1)'s association with an actively…
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Legal ethics opinions from the Illinois State Bar Association interpret the rules of professional conduct for working lawyers, in response to inquiries from members and committees. They are not binding like court discipline decisions, but courts and discipline boards treat formal opinions as substantial guidance on how the rules apply. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the original source on the bar's site.