The Clerk of the ARDC is the individual designated by the Administrator to receive, keep and maintain the files, pleadings, records, documents and evidence relating to proceedings before the ARDC’s Hearing and Review Boards. The Clerk and his or her staff are ARDC employees but are neutral in all disciplinary matters and do not take case-specific direction from the Administrator.

The Clerk's file related to disciplinary proceedings becomes a matter of public record upon the filing of the proof of service indicating that the complaint has been served upon Respondent. The complaint, Reports of the Hearing or Review Boards, and other documents filed in the Clerk's file after the service of the complaint are public records, unless subject to an order sealing them. If a motion to seal documents is filed, the Clerk of the Commission will treat the subject documents as public during the time period between the filing of the motion to seal and the ruling on the motion, absent a contrary written order from the Chair of the Hearing Panel. The Clerk’s file related to disability proceedings remains confidential unless and until the case is filed in the Supreme Court.

All pleadings, motions, briefs and documents shall be electronically filed with the Clerk of the Commission in accordance with Supreme Court Rules 9 and 10 and with the “ARDC Electronic Filing Procedure and User Manual,” and, except as otherwise provided in Commission Rules 214 and 215, service of such pleadings, motions, briefs and documents shall be made in accordance with Supreme Court Rules 11 and 12. For purposes of these Rules, the word “filing” shall mean “electronic filing,” and the parties are no longer required to file copies of any pleading, motion, brief or document that is electronically filed.
Adopted October 19, 2018, effective January 1, 2019

The electronic record is designated as the official record of proceedings. The complaint and all subsequent pleadings and other documents shall be filed with the Clerk. The Clerk shall maintain an electronic record of all such documents for each proceeding, which shall constitute the master file for each proceeding. The Clerk may dispose of paper versions of documents filed as part of an electronic record.
Amended, effective January 1, 2016

Pursuant to the direction of a Hearing Panel Chair, Counsel for Adjudication assists Hearing Board members in drafting pre-hearing conference orders and reports of the Hearing Board. Adjudication counsel are employed by the Commission upon recommendation of the Hearing Board Chair and are supervised by the Hearing Board Chair.

The Clerk’s Office maintains a list of attorneys who have handled a number of ARDC litigation matters. Inclusion of a lawyer’s name on the list does not constitute the Commission’s endorsement of the lawyer. A copy of the list is available by contacting the Clerk’s Office. A request may be made by email at [email protected] or by telephone (312) 565-2600.

The Commission retains and compensates lawyers to assist the Review Board in the drafting of its reports and recommendations. The Commission makes the hiring decision upon recommendations submitted by the Review Board.

Supreme Court Rule 730 provides for registration of group legal services plans. Plan registration does not signify approval of the plan. Rule 730(d) provides that neither the Commission nor the Administrator shall approve or disapprove of a plan for group legal services or render any legal opinion regarding any plan. No registration fee is charged.

The Clerk’s office coordinates the annual registration of group legal service plans. The Clerk maintains the plan filings and an index for all registered group legal services plans. The plan registration year begins on July 1 and continues through June 30 of the following year. The Clerk mails renewal registration forms in May of each year. Questions regarding registration or how to obtain copies of any plan filing should be directed to the Clerk’s Office by telephone at (312) 565-2600, by email to [email protected], or by postal mail to: Clerk, Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, 130 East Randolph Drive, Suite 1500, Chicago, Illinois 60601.

The Hearing Board is comprised of members appointed for annual terms by the ARDC Commissioners. The Commission appoints a lawyer as Chair of the entire Hearing Board. The Hearing Board Chair has oversight responsibility for the panel member assignment system, oversees the progress of the Hearing Board docket, makes recommendations to the Commission regarding Hearing Board membership, and makes recommendations to the Commission for hiring lawyers who provide support to the Hearing Board.

The Hearing Board acts in three-member panels comprised of a lawyer chair, another lawyer member, and one non-lawyer member. You may access the Hearing Board roster by clicking Board Member Roster. Upon the filing of a formal complaint before the Hearing Board, the Clerk uses a computerized selection system to assign a Hearing Panel Chair to the case. The system was established pursuant to Commission direction and the Clerk implements the assignment system under the supervision of the Hearing Board Chair.

A Hearing Panel Chair is responsible for presiding over prehearing aspects of the case. When the case is ready for a contested hearing or consent disposition, the Clerk’s office assigns a lawyer member and a non-lawyer member to the panel through the same computerized selection process. All assignment orders are filed by the Clerk and served upon the parties.

ARDC maintains facilities for Hearing Board proceedings and Review Board oral arguments at both its Chicago and Springfield offices. The Chicago hearing facility is located at the Commission’s offices at 130 East Randolph Drive, Suite 1500. The Springfield office is located at 3161 West White Oaks Drive, Suite 301, Springfield, Illinois 62704. Hearings are open to the public, with the exception of disability proceedings. Videotaping and photography are not permitted during a Hearing or Review Board proceeding. The Clerk’s Office makes an audio recording of Review Board oral arguments. No other audio recording is allowed.

Pre-hearing conferences are held pursuant to order of the Hearing Panel Chair, who presides over the conference. Counsel for the parties are required to participate in the conferences. The objective of a pre-hearing conference is to address issues prior to the hearing so that the hearing may proceed fairly and efficiently. See Rule 260 of the Rules of the ARDC for further information. Pre-hearing conferences may be held by telephone or in person, but are frequently conducted by telephone. The Clerk is responsible for initiating the telephone call for a pre-hearing conference. In-person pre-hearing conferences may be held at the Commission’s Chicago office or at the Commission's Springfield office. Upon written request to the Clerk, pre-hearing conferences are transcribed by certified shorthand reporters and the original transcripts are ordered and maintained with the file in the Clerk’s Office. At the conclusion of each pre-hearing conference, counsel for Adjudication or Clerk’s personnel will prepare a draft order pursuant to directions from the Panel Chair. After the Chair approves the order, the Clerk will file and serve the order upon the parties.

Public files are maintained by the Clerk of the Commission. Many key documents filed in disciplinary cases are available on this site under the Recent Filings & Decisions menu and in Case Research. Copies of public documents may also be requested from the Clerk’s Office. Requests for copies may be made by email to [email protected], by telephone at (312) 565-2600, or by regular mail to the Commission’s Chicago office. Certified copies are available upon request. The cost for photocopying is 10 cents per page.

The Review Board meets on the second Friday of each month and commences oral arguments at 9:30 a.m. The Review Board may also hear arguments commencing at 11:00 a.m. No more than two (2) cases will be heard at one time. Pursuant to the direction of the Review Board, the Clerk records the oral arguments. The recording is maintained for the Review Board’s internal use. The recording may not be released, unless the Review Board allows a motion establishing good cause.

Review is initiated by filing a Notice of Exceptions with the Clerk of the Commission. Upon the filing of a Notice of Exceptions, the Clerk will prepare the Certification of Record. The certified record is prepared in accordance with the Supreme Court of Illinois Standards and Requirements for Electronic Filing the Record on Appeal. The Clerk will enter a scheduling order for the filing dates of the parties’ briefs and the date of the scheduled oral argument. The parties are required to cite to the certified record in their respective briefs.

The Review Board consists of nine attorneys who are appointed by the Supreme Court. Click Board Member Roster to see the roster of Review Board members. The Court designates one member as the Chair of the Review Board. Review Board members serve without compensation. The Review Board acts in three-member panels. After the filing of the appellant’s brief, the Clerk selects the panel by use of a computerized panel assignment system as authorized by Commission and the Review Board. Review Board reports reflect which members comprised the panel that decided the case.