The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among the largest voluntary state bar associations in the United States. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois and ISBA membership is completely voluntary. The ISBA is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. It also has an office in Chicago, Illinois.
History The ISBA was founded on January 4, 1877, at a meeting held in the Sangamon County Courthouse in Springfield, Illinois, attended by 88 lawyers from 37 counties. According to the association’s constitution adopted at that time, the purpose of the association is:
This first meeting elected Anthony Thornton as first president of the ISBA. In 1879, the ISBA gained notoriety after it granted honorary membership to Myra Bradwell and Ada Kepley after they were denied admission to the bar on the grounds that they were women. Responding to a request from the Supreme Court of Illinois on how to improve the quality of Illinois lawyers, in 1897 the ISBA and the Chicago Bar Association recommended that the court require lawyers to have at least a high school education; they also recommended creating what would become the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar. The Illinois Supreme Court accepted both recommendations.
The ISBA would later lead a crusade against the unauthorized practice of law; in 1931, they brought a suit against People’s Stock Yards State Bank in which they persuaded the Illinois Supreme Court to declare that it had the inherent authority to punish anyone who practiced law without a law license. The ISBA spent decades lobbying for reform of Illinois' civil procedure, and this ultimately paid off in 1933, when the Illinois General Assembly passed the Civil Practice Act of 1933. In 1962, the ISBA led a campaign to change the judicial article of the Illinois Constitution. The ISBA also played a large role in developing the current Illinois Criminal Code (1961) and Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure (1963). In the 1970s and 1980s, the ISBA lobbied successfully to have Illinois adopt a regime of no-fault divorce and for independent administration of decedents' estates. The ISBA also played a role in creating the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the Client Security Fund of the Bar of Illinois, the Lawyers’ Assistance Program, and the Lawyers Trust Fund.
Organization and activities The ISBA is currently divided into 40 substantive law divisions, allowing ISBA members the opportunity to meet other lawyers who practice in the same field. Each section publishes a newsletter to keep its members aware of substantive changes in the field of law. The sections also offer continuing legal education services for members. One of these sections, the Young Lawyers Division, is for lawyers 36 years old and younger, and is designed to give young lawyers an opportunity to meet and discuss issues peculiar to younger practitioners.
The ISBA operates 26 standing committees and several special committees, councils, and task forces created by either the Assembly or the Board of Governors (see below for more information about the Assembly and Board of Governors). Each committee consists mainly of members appointed by the ISBA president. These committees study issues facing the legal community and make recommendations to the ISBA Assembly. The association sponsors a number of online and print publications, including: the Illinois Bar Journal, dozens of section newsletters, the Illinois Courts Bulletin, and its blog Illinois Lawyer Now. Members also receive E-Clips, a daily email newsletter summarizing legal news and case updates.
Other ISBA highlights include: Member benefits, including: Fastcase online legal research service, On-Demand online CLE courses, automated legal form builder IllinoisBarDocs, an online Career Center, an online Lawyer Referral Service, meeting space in its Chicago and Springfield offices, and the ability to purchase malpractice insurance through the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company. Legal resources for the public, including: consumer guides covering dozens of legal issues and an online lawyer search tool called IllinoisLawyerFinder. Awards recognizing professional achievement in the legal profession, the most prestigious of which is the ISBA Laureate Award. The Illinois State Bar Association’s Academy of Illinois Lawyers was founded in 1999 to recognize those who personify excellence in the legal profession. The Laureate Award, the Academy’s highest honor, is awarded to those deemed to exemplify the highest ideals of the profession. Its charitable wing, the Illinois Bar Foundation that promotes pro bono work and other legal work in the public interest. The association also administers the annual ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational, a mock trial tournament for high school students, with the winning team representing Illinois at the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
The ISBA's supreme policy making body is the ISBA Assembly. The Assembly has 203 lawyer members elected on a pro rata basis from the judicial circuits. The Assembly routinely meets twice a year. It has taken positions on a number of important matters, including repeal of the death penalty in Illinois, support of civil unions, and support of U.S. ratification of the convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Between meetings of the Assembly, the ISBA is governed by a 27-member Board of Governors, which oversees the operations and management of ISBA and is subject to policies set by the 203-member Assembly. The Board of Governors is headed by the president of the ISBA. The president is elected by the Assembly.
List of presidents of the ISBA
Anthony Thornton, Shelbyville, 1877-1879 David McCulloch, Peoria, 1880 Orville Hickman Browning, Quincy, 1881 Elijah B. Sherman, Chicago 1881 Charles C. Bonney, Chicago, 1882 William L. Gross, Springfield, 1883 David Davis, Bloomington, 1884 Benjamin S. Edwards, Springfield, 1885 Melville Fuller, Chicago, 1886 E. B. Green, Mount Carmel, 1887 Thomas Dent, Chicago, 1888 Ethelbert Callahan, Robinson, 1889 James B. Bradwell, Chicago, 1890 James M. Riggs, Winchester, 1891 Lyman Trumbull, Chicago, 1892 Samuel P. Wheeler, Springfield, 1893 Elliott Anthony, Chicago, 1894 Oliver H. Harker, Carbondale, 1895 John H. Hamline, Chicago, 1896-1897 Alfred Orendorff, Springfield, 1897-1898 Harvey B. Hurd, Chicago, 1898-1899 Benson Wood, Effingham, 1899-1900 Jessie Holdom, Chicago, 1900-1901 John Sanborn Stevens, Peoria, 1901-1902 Murray F. Tuley, Chicago, 1902-1903 Charles L. Capen, Bloomington, 1903-1904 Stephen S. Gregory, Chicago, 1904-1905 George True Page, Peoria, 1905-1906 Harrison Musgrave, Chicago, 1906-1907 James H. Matheny, Springfield, 1907-1908 E. P. Williams, Galesburg, 1908-1909 Edgar A. Bancroft, Chicago, 1909-1910 William R. Curran, Pekin, 1910-1911 Horace K. Tenney, Chicago, 1911-1912 Harry Higbee, Pittsfield, 1912-1913 Robert McMurdy, Chicago, 1913-1914 Edward C. Kramer, East St. Louis, 1914-1915 Nathan William MacChesney, Chicago, 1915-1916 Albert D. Early, Rockford, 1916-1917 Edgar Bronson Tolman, Chicago, 1917-1918 Walter M. Provine, Taylorville, 1918-1919 Frederick A. Brown, Chicago, 1919-1920 Logan Hay, Springfield, 1920-1921 Silas H. Strawn, Chicago, 1921-1922 Bruce A. Campbell, East St. Louis, 1922-1923 Roger Sherman, Chicago, 1923-1924 C.M. Clay Buntain, Kankakee, 1924-1925 John R. Montgomery, Chicago, 1925-1926 George H. Wilson, Quincy, 1926-1927 Rush C. Butler, Chicago, 1927-1928 Franklin L. Velde, Pekin, 1928-1929 John D. Black, Chicago, 1929-1930 Clarence W. Heyl, Peoria, 1930-1931 Amos C. Miller, Chicago, 1931-1932 June C. Smith, Centralia, 1932-1933 Floyd E. Thompson, Chicago, 1933-1934 James S. Baldwin, Decatur, 1934-1935 Charles P. Megan, Chicago, 1935-1936 Cairo A. Trimble, Princeton, 1936-1937 John F. Voigt, Chicago, 1937-1938 William D. Knight, Rockford, 1938-1939 Charles O. Rundall, Chicago, 1939-1940 Albert J. Harno, Urbana, 1940-1941 Benjamin Wham, Chicago, 1941-1942 Clarence W. Diver, Waukegan, 1942-1943 Warren B. Buckley, Chicago, 1943-1944 Henry C. Warner, Dixon, 1944-1945 Tappan Gregory, Chicago, 1945-1946 Kaywin Kennedy, Bloomington, 1946-1947 William M. James, Chicago, 1947-1948 Amos H. Robillard, Kankakee, 1948-1949 Albert E. Jenner, Jr., Chicago, 1949-1950 Aubrey L. Yantis, Shelbyville, 1950-1951 Joseph H. Hinshaw, Chicago, 1951-1952 Thomas J. Welch, Kewanee, 1952-1953 Timothy I. McKnight, Chicago, 1953-1954 Karl C. Williams, Rockford, 1954-1955 Thomas S. Edmonds, Chicago, 1955-1956 James G. Thomas, Champaign, 1956-1957 Barnabas F. Sears, Chicago, 1957-1958 Timothy W. Swain, Peoria, 1958-1959 David J. A. Hayes, Chicago, 1959 (died in office) Gerald C. Snyder, Waukegan, 1959-1960 Edward B. Love, Monmouth, 1960-1961 Owen Rall, Chicago, 1961-1962 Mason Bull, Morrison, 1962-1963 Horace A. Young, Chicago, 1963-1964 Stanford S. Meyer, Belleville, 1964-1965 Peter Fitzpatrick, Chicago, 1965-1966 Russell N. Sullivan, Champaign, 1966-1967 Stanton L. Ehrlich, Chicago, 1967-1968 Alfred Younges Kirkland, Sr., Elgin, 1968-1969 Henry L. Pitts, Chicago, 1969-1970 H. Ogden Brainard, Charleston, 1970-1971 Morton John Barnard, Chicago, 1971-1972 Lyle W. Allen, Peoria, 1972-1973 William P. Sutter, Chicago, 1973-1974 John R. Mackay, Wheaton, 1974-1975 Lawrence X. Pusateri, Chicago, 1975-1976 (resigned Jan. 2, 1976 to run for Supreme Court of Illinois) Francis J. Householter, Kankakee, 1976-1977 (served as president pro tem for remainder of Pusateri's term before being elected to his own term) Carole Bellows, Chicago, 1977-1978 Lloyd J. Tyler, Aurora, 1978-1979 John C. Mullen, Chicago, 1979-1980 Robert G. Heckenkamp, Springfield, 1980-1981 Michel A. Coccia, Chicago, 1981-1982 John C. Feirich, Carbondale, 1982-1983 Al Hofeld, Chicago, 1983-1984 Jon W. DeMoss, Springfield, 1984-1985 Fred Lane, Chicago, 1985-1986 Richard L. Thies, Urbana, 1986-1987 Donald C. Schiller, Chicago, 1987-1988 Jerome Mirza, Chicago/Bloomington, 1983-1989 Leonard F. Amari, Chicago, 1989-1990 Maurice E. Bone, Belleville, 1990-1991 Thomas A. Clancy, Chicago, 1991-1992 Peter H. Lousberg, Rock Island, 1992-1993 Tom Leahy, Chicago, 1993-1994 David A. Decker, Waukegan, 1994-1995 Terrence K. Hegarty, Chicago, 1995-1996 Ralph A. Gabric, Wheaton, 1996-1997 Todd A. Smith, Chicago, 1997-1998 Timothy L. Bertschy, Peoria, 1998-1999 Cheryl Niro, Chicago, 1999-2000 Herbert H. Franks, Marengo, 2000-2001 J. Timothy Eaton, Chicago, 2001-2002 Loren S. Golden, Elgin, 2002-2003 Terrance J. Lavin, Chicago, 2003-2004 Ole Bly Pace, Sterling, 2004-2005 Robert K. Downs, Chicago, 2005-2006 Irene F. Bahr, Wheaton, 2006-2007 Joseph G. Bisceglia, Chicago, 2007-2008 Jack C. Carey, Belleville, 2008-2009 John G. O'Brien, Arlington Heights, 2009-2010 Mark D. Hassakis, Mt. Vernon, 2010-2011 John G. Locallo, Chicago, 2011-2012 John E. Thies, Urbana, 2012-2013 Paula H. Holderman, Chicago, 2013–2014 Richard D. Felice, Wheaton, 2014–2015 Umberto S. Davi, Western Springs, 2015–2016 Vincent F. Cornelius, Wheaton, 2016–2017 Hon. Russell W. Hartigan, Western Springs, 2017–2018 Hon. James F. McCluskey, Lisle, 2018–2019 David B. Sosin, Orland Park, 2019-2020 Dennis J. Orsey, Granite City, 2020-2021 Anna P. Krolikowska, Northbrook, 2021-2022 Rory T. Weiler, St. Charles, 2022-2023 Shawn S. Kasserman, Chicago, 2023-2024 Sonni Choi Williams, Lockport, 2024-2025 Bridget C. Duignan, Chicago, 2025-2026 Perry J. Browder, Alton, 2026-2027
References
General Illinois State Bar Association website Illinois Bar Foundation website ISBA Laureate Award Illinois Lawyer Now blog ISBA’s consumer website