Potential clients are searching for a lawyer right now. The ISBA is helping them find YOU!
The ISBA offers two great ways for the public to find an ISBA member lawyer:
- Illinois Lawyer Finder – an online public-facing directory available 24x7
- Lawyer Referral Service – available to members who carry professional liability insurance and authorize the ISBA to confirm their registration status
Illinois Lawyer Finder Online Directory
To access and update your Illinois Lawyer Finder profile, first log into the ISBA website and then select "Illinois Lawyer Finder Profile" from the drop-down menu in the upper-right-hand corner of your screen (under the "Welcome Back ..." message).
Where Lawyers and Clients Meet
Illinois Lawyer Finder is an online resource that helps consumers search for and hire an ISBA member to serve their legal needs.
It is part of a national online public lawyer directory, which also includes members of the State Bar of Michigan, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the State Bar of Georgia. It is operated by CloudLaw, a public benefit corporation.
ISBA members (except judges and government attorneys; see below) have access to a free Basic Profile on Illinois Lawyer Finder. In addition, members have the option to upgrade to the fully featured Profile Plus for either a $10/month or $110/year subscription.
Basic Profile v. Profile Plus
Basic Profile - Helping you get found
A basic profile has already been created for all active and eligible members of the Illinois State Bar Association. The basic profile includes contact information, photo, title, up to 5 practice areas, and education history.
Profile Plus – Helping you get hired
When searching for a lawyer online, a majority of consumers are interested in seeing a lawyer’s experience and credentials as well as the types of cases they handle. Profile Plus allows you to easily provide this information and give more insight about yourself and your practice so consumers can see what makes you the perfect fit for their legal needs.
If you are looking to grow your practice and are interested in attracting new clients, upgrading to Profile Plus for $10/month or $110/year will allow you to round out your profile and improve your chances of getting hired.
| Directory Feature | Basic Profile | Profile Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Contact information |  |
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| Photo | |
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| Title | |
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| Practice areas | Up to 5 | Unlimited |
| Law school attended | |
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| Additional education | |
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| Customized biography | |
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| Tagline | |
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| Employment history | |
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| Rates and billing information | |
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| Website and social media links | |
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| Case examples | |
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| Presentations | |
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| Awards and achievements | |
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| Membership in affinity bars | |
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| Ability to post articles | |
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| Languages spoken | |
Quick Start Guide and Help
Illinois Lawyer Finder Quick Start Guide - For more information on signing in, upgrading to Profile Plus, and editing your profile.
Help - Best practices, How Tos, and FAQs.
Judges and Government Attorneys
For members who are judges or government attorneys, we have defaulted your Basic Profile's visibility setting to "No Directory Profile." If you would like your Basic Profile to appear in the directory, simply follow the steps outlined above and change your "Online Public Directory Settings" to either "Directory Profile Viewable by the Public" or "Directory Profile Only Viewable by Other Lawyers."
How to Remove a Profile from the Directory
Log into your account and click on the "EDIT" button in the area titled "Online Public Directory Settings," open the drop-down menu for "Public Profile View," select "No Directory Profile," and hit "Save." Your profile will then be removed from the directory within 20-30 minutes.
Lawyer Referral Service
ISBA members in good standing in the Illinois bar who carry professional liability insurance and authorize the ISBA to confirm their registration status can become Lawyer Referral Service members. We offer a basic and a premium option.
Premium Membership
Premium members have their names and contact information given out to consumers who call the ISBA's live operators seeking paid legal assistance in specific areas of the law. The ISBA advertises this service to the public throughout Illinois. Each month, lawyer referral service operators provide hundreds of referrals. See updates about how many phone referrals are made by the Lawyer Referral Service.
In addition, to receiving phone referrals, Premium member also receive the following benefits related to the Illinois Lawyer Finder Online Directory:
- Profiles in the Illinois Lawyer Finder Online Directory will carry a special designation on their Illinois Lawyer Finder public directory page alerting potential clients that they carry liability insurance and have agreed to provide the special initial consultation fee of $25 for 30 minutes.
- Consumers will be able to filter their directory search results by Lawyer Referral Service members.
- Be able to access personalized assistance from the ISBA when they have questions about the Illinois Lawyer Finder public directory.
Premium Lawyer Referral Service membership is $50
Basic Membership
Basic members will carry a special designation on their Illinois Lawyer Finder public directory page alerting potential clients that they carry liability insurance and are in good standing with the ARDC.
Consumers will be able to filter their directory search results by Lawyer Referral Service members.
Finally, Basic members will be able to access personalized assistance from the ISBA when they have questions about the Illinois Lawyer Finder public directory.
Basic Lawyer Referral Service membership is free.