Article I. General Rules · Last amended 2022 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRule 43 establishes the statewide Lawyers' Assistance Program, funded by attorney registration fees, to provide substance abuse and mental health services to lawyers, judges, and law students.
(a)Program Description. The Lawyers’ Assistance Program shall provide substance abuse
and mental health services for attorneys, judges, and law students that may include counseling, the provision of information on addiction and mental health impairments, referrals to treatment programs, peer assistance, education, interventions, relapse prevention, and monitoring of compliance with treatment programs.
(b)Program Provider. The Lawyers’ Assistance Program shall be operated by a not-for-profit corporation that is exempt from the payment of federal taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Lawyers’ Assistance Program, Inc., shall be the designated Lawyers’ Assistance Program provider for the State of Illinois.
(c)Program Fee. The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission shall collect an annual Lawyers’ Assistance Program fee as provided in Rule 756 from every attorney admitted to practice law in this State paying full annual registration fees. The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission shall remit the program fee directly to the Supreme Court’s designated Lawyers’ Assistance Program provider.
(d)Reporting. The designated Lawyers’ Assistance Program provider shall file annually with the Supreme Court an accounting of the monies received and expended for its activities including but not limited to a financial report by budget category of the previous year’s activities, a detailed estimated budget for the next year’s activities, and an independent audit, which shall be paid for by the program provider. The program provider shall also file annually with the Supreme Court a report detailing the progress of the program, the operations and services provided, the number of eligible recipients who received services, the effectiveness of its activities, and any significant problem areas that developed and how they were resolved.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 43 creates a formal support system for the legal profession's own well-being. The program offers counseling, treatment referrals, peer assistance, education, intervention, relapse prevention, and monitoring of treatment compliance, covering substance abuse and mental health impairments among attorneys, judges, and law students.
Lawyers' Assistance Program, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit, is designated as the sole statewide provider. The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission collects an annual program fee from every attorney paying full registration fees and passes that money directly to the provider. In exchange, the provider files annual reports with the Supreme Court detailing its finances, an independent audit, and the scope and effectiveness of its services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for services from the Illinois Lawyers' Assistance Program?
Attorneys, judges, and law students, for substance abuse and mental health support.
How is the Lawyers' Assistance Program funded?
Through an annual fee collected by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission from attorneys paying full registration fees, remitted directly to the program provider.
What organization runs Illinois' Lawyers' Assistance Program?
Lawyers' Assistance Program, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation designated as the statewide provider under Rule 43(b).
What kind of services does the program offer?
Counseling, information on addiction and mental health impairments, treatment referrals, peer assistance, education, interventions, relapse prevention, and compliance monitoring.
Does the Lawyers' Assistance Program have to account for how it spends its funding?
Yes. It must file an annual accounting with the Supreme Court, including a financial report, an estimated budget, and an independent audit.
Amendment History
Adopted Sept. 21, 2021, eff. Jan. 1, 2022.
Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules,
promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:lawyers assistance program illinoisattorney mental health supportsubstance abuse help for lawyersattorney registration fee programjudicial wellness program illinois