Effective October 1, 2024, an amendment to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 756(a)(1) will change the registration fee structure for lawyers in the state. This update eliminates the previously offered discounted registration fee for lawyers who have been admitted to the bar for fewer than three full years.
Previously, newly admitted lawyers in Illinois benefited from a reduced registration fee. For instance, a lawyer admitted in 2024 would not pay any registration fee for 2024 and 2025. They would then pay a discounted rate of $121 annually for 2026 and 2027 before transitioning to the full registration fee of $385 in 2028. However, under the new amendment, this discounted period is removed. A lawyer admitted in 2024 will still have no registration fee for 2024 and 2025, but will then be required to pay the full $385 registration fee starting in 2026.
Several key factors motivated this amendment. The initial discounted fee was partly intended to provide financial relief to lawyers in the early stages of their careers. However, data indicated that a significant number of these lawyers are employed by firms or corporations that typically cover these registration expenses. For individual lawyers facing genuine financial hardship, Rule 756(a)(4) still offers a mechanism to request a waiver of the registration fee.
Furthermore, the full $385 registration fee is partially distributed to vital Supreme Court entities that support both Illinois lawyers and the public. These include organizations such as the Lawyers Trust Fund, the Lawyers’ Assistance Program, the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, the Client Protection Program, and the Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice. These entities did not receive any funding from the discounted $121 fee. This amendment is expected to bolster the financial stability of these crucial services.
Finally, the increased revenue generated by this amendment is intended to prevent the need for broader increases in registration fees for all Illinois lawyers in the future. Illinois attorney registration fees have remained unchanged since 2015, and this adjustment aims to maintain that stability.
In summary, Illinois lawyers should be aware of the upcoming change to Rule 756(a)(1). While the discounted registration fee for early-career lawyers is being eliminated, this amendment serves to strengthen essential support services for the legal community and aims to maintain stable registration fees for all lawyers in Illinois in the long term.
