ILCS » Chapter 705 · Act 220
Illinois Compiled Statutes

705 ILCS 220/1 (2026)

It shall be unlawful for a corporation to practice law or appear as an attorney at law for any reason in any court in this state or before any judicial body, or to make it a business to practice as an attorney at law for any person in any said courts or to hold itself out to the public as being entitled to practice law or to render or furnish legal services or advice or to furnish attorneys or counsel or to render legal services of any kind in actions or proceedings of any nature or in any other way or manner to assume to be entitled to practice law, or to assume, use and advertise the title of lawyers or attorney, attorney at law, or equivalent terms in any language in such manner as to convey the impression that it is entitled to practice law, or to furnish legal advice, furnish attorneys or counsel, or to advertise that either alone or together with, or by or through, any person, whether a duly and regularly admitted attorney at law or not, it has, owns, conducts or maintains a law office or an office for the practice of law or for furnishing legal advice, services or counsel

✓ current as of May 2026
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(705 ILCS 220/1) (from Ch. 32, par. 411)
    Sec. 1. It shall be unlawful for a corporation to practice law or appear as an attorney at law for any reason in any court in this state or before any judicial body, or to make it a business to practice as an attorney at law for any person in any said courts or to hold itself out to the public as being entitled to practice law or to render or furnish legal services or advice or to furnish attorneys or counsel or to render legal services of any kind in actions or proceedings of any nature or in any other way or manner to assume to be entitled to practice law, or to assume, use and advertise the title of lawyers or attorney, attorney at law, or equivalent terms in any language in such manner as to convey the impression that it is entitled to practice law, or to furnish legal advice, furnish attorneys or counsel, or to advertise that either alone or together with, or by or through, any person, whether a duly and regularly admitted attorney at law or not, it has, owns, conducts or maintains a law office or an office for the practice of law or for furnishing legal advice, services or counsel.
(Source: Laws 1917, p. 309.)

    
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 14 cases, 1997–2018 · leading case: Gonzalzles v. Am. Express Credit Corp., 733 N.E.2d 345 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000).
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Gonzalzles v. Am. Express Credit Corp., 733 N.E.2d 345 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 3× “Plaintiff alleged that defendants had received compensation for “providing the legal services of [Levy] to [plaintiff]” in violation of the Illinois Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act (705 ILCS 220/1 (West 1996)). Count VIII was a claim for defendants’ violation of the…”
Fields v. Lake Hillcrest Corp., 780 N.E.2d 357 (Ill. App. Ct. 2002). · cites it 2× “Section 1 of the Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act (705 ILCS 220/1 (West 1996)) states, “It shall be unlawful for a corporation to practice law or appear as an attorney at law for any reason in any court in this state ***.”
Downtown Disposal Servs., Inc. v. City of Chicago, 943 N.E.2d 185 (Ill. App. Ct. 2011). · cites it 2× “As to DD’s assertion that the application of the nullity rule in this instance violated its due process and equal protection rights, the City contends that DD has forfeited this issue by failing to inform the Illinois Attorney General that DD was challenging the…”
Applebaum v. Rush Univ. Med. Ctr., 877 N.E.2d 80 (Ill. App. Ct. 2007). “705 ILCS 220/1 (West 2004). Under the language of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 756(a)(5) (eff.”
Bowers v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins., 932 N.E.2d 607 (Ill. App. Ct. 2010). “Specifically, an insurance carrier is permitted to “employ! ] an attorney or attorneys in and about its own immediate affairs or in any litigation to which it is or may be a party, or in any litigation in which any corporation may be interested by reason of the issuance of any…”
Muhammad v. Reed (In re Reed), 532 B.R. 82 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2015). “While 705 ILCS 220/1, 3-5 have been often opined upon, there is an absence of case law with respect to 705 ILCS 220/2.”
Francorp, Inc. v. Siebert, 211 F. Supp. 2d 1051 (N.D. Ill. 2002). “On this point, Fran-corp again raises three arguments: (1) it has licensed attorneys on its staff to perform any legal work; (2) clients’ independent counsel reviews all documents; and (3) Francorp services do not constitute practicing law.”
Stone Street Partners, LLC v. City of Chicago, 2017 IL App (1st) 133159 (Ill. App. Ct. 2017). “In addition, Stone Street contends, as a corollary to this claim, that because no attorney appeared for the City at the hearing, the City essentially conscripted the ALJ into service as both judge and prosecutor, thereby violating Stone Street's right to due process.”
Stone Street Partners, LLC v. City of Chicago, 2017 IL App (1st) 133159 (Ill. App. Ct. 2018). “We consider each of these contentions in turn. ¶ 16 In Illinois, it is “unlawful for a corporation to practice law or appear as an attorney at law for any reason in any court *** or before any judicial body.”
Gonzalzles v. Am. Express Credit Corp. (Ill. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 4× “On appeal, plaintiff contends that the trial court erred in dismissing the counts against defendants because he sufficiently pled causes of action against defendants for breach of contract, negligent referral, breach of fiduciary relationship, unauthorized practice of law, and…”
Holden v. Rockford Mem'l Hosp., 678 N.E.2d 342 (Ill. App. Ct. 1997). “Additionally, the hospital states that the legislature has enacted similar prohibitions in the Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act (705 ILCS 220/1 et seq. (West 1994)) and the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act (225 ILCS 15/1 et seq.”
Fields v. Lake Hillcrest Corp. (Ill. App. Ct. 2002). · cites it 2× “Section 1 of the Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act (705 ILCS 220/1 (West 1996)) states, "It shall be unlawful for a corporation to practice law or appear as an attorney at law for any reason in any court in this state ***.”
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