Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 705 - COURTS
705 ILCS 220/ - Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act.

(705 ILCS 220/0.01) (from Ch. 32, par. 410.9)
Sec. 0.01.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the
Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act.

(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)

(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.)

(705 ILCS 220/2) (from Ch. 32, par. 412)
Sec. 2.

It shall be unlawful for any corporation to solicit by itself or by
or through its officer, agent or employee, any claim or demand for the
purpose of bringing an action at law thereon, or for furnishing legal
advice, services or counsel, to a person sued or about to be sued in any
action or proceeding, or against whom an action or proceeding has been or
is about to be brought or who may be affected by any action or proceeding
which has been or may be instituted in any court or before any judicial
body or for the purpose of so representing any person as attorney or
counsel in securing or attempting to secure any civil remedy.

(Source: Laws 1917, p. 309.)

(705 ILCS 220/3) (from Ch. 32, par. 413)
Sec. 3.

Any corporation violating the provisions of this Act shall be guilty of
a petty offense, and shall be fined not to exceed $500, and every officer,
trustee, director, agent or employee of such corporation who directly or
indirectly engages in any of the acts herein prohibited or assists such
corporation to do any such prohibited act or acts is guilty of a petty
offense.

(Source: P.A. 77-2380.)

(705 ILCS 220/4) (from Ch. 32, par. 414)
Sec. 4.

The fact that any such officer, trustee, agent or employee shall be
a duly and regularly admitted attorney at law shall not be held to permit
or allow any such corporation to do the acts prohibited herein, nor shall
such fact constitute a defense upon the trial of any of the persons
mentioned herein for a violation of the provisions of this act.

(Source: Laws 1917, p. 309.)

(705 ILCS 220/5) (from Ch. 32, par. 415)
Sec. 5.

Nothing contained in this act shall prohibit a corporation from
employing 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
policy or undertaking of insurance, guarantee or indemnity, nor shall it
apply to associations organized for benevolent or charitable purposes or
for assisting persons without means in the pursuit of any civil remedy or
the presentation of a defense in courts of law, nor shall it apply to duly
organized corporations lawfully engaged in the mercantile or collection
business or to corporations organized not for pecuniary profit.
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent a corporation
from furnishing to any person, lawfully engaged in the practice of the law,
such information or such clerical services in and about his professional
work as, except for the provisions of this act, may be lawful, provided,
that at all times the lawyer receiving such information or such services
shall maintain full professional and direct responsibility to his clients
for the information and services so received. But no corporation shall be
permitted to render any services which cannot lawfully be rendered by a
person not admitted to practice law in this state nor to solicit directly
or indirectly professional employment for a lawyer.
Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to prohibit a corporation
from prosecuting as plaintiff or defending as defendant any small claims
proceeding in any court of this State through any officer, director, manager,
department manager or supervisor of the corporation as authorized by Section
2-416 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(Source: P.A. 83-909.)