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Accreditation and CLE Rules for Illinois
Courses purchased through UnitedCLE.com are provided and fully accredited by The National Academy of Continuing Legal Education, an Accredited CLE Provider in Illinois.
Illinois attorneys are required to take 30 credit hours every 2 years including 6 professional responsibility credits. Of the 6 professional responsibility hours at least 1 must be in diversity and inclusion, and at least 1 must be in mental health and substance abuse.
Illinois attorneys can earn all 30 CLE credit hours with us including 4 credit hour of Ethics, 1 credit hour of Diversity and Inclusion and 1 credit hour in Mental Health and Substance Abuse using our Online & iOS/Android App courses.
Experienced Illinois attorneys are divided into two compliance groups. Attorneys with last names that start with the letters A through M are due on June 30th of even numbered years. Attorneys with last names that start with the letters N through Z are due on June 30th of odd numbered years.
We promptly report your CLE attendance to the Illinois MCLE Board and pay the associated fees.
Newly Admitted attorneys in Illinois must complete 15 total credit hours in their first year of admission. This requirement consists of 6 credits of Basic Skills course that have been directly approved by the MCLE Board to meet the special Basic Skills requirement. Newly Admitted attorneys can fulfill their entire requirement with us, including Basic Skills credits, using our Online & iOS/Android App formats. The deadline to complete these newly admit requirements is one year after your date of admission on the last day of the month (S. Ct. Rule 793(b)).
The MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois
200 West Madison Street
Suite 2040
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(t) 312-924-2420 http://www.mcleboard.org/
The Strictest Conflict Rule: Exploring Rule 1.8(a) and Business Transactions with Clients
Courses purchased through UnitedCLE.com are provided and fully accredited by The National Academy of Continuing Legal Education, an Accredited CLE Provider in Illinois.
To view our full accreditation details please .
Ethics Credits
1
For Access To This Course
LIVE WEBINAR
October 30
This course aired live on Thursday, October 30, 2025
for access to this course.
About This Course
Among the conflict rules, none is more exacting than Rule 1.8(a). It is the provision that governs when a lawyer enters into a business transaction with a client, and its requirements are uniquely strict.
This CLE course will unpack the meaning of a “business transaction” in the professional responsibility context and consider which client arrangements fall under the Rule’s umbrella. We will then turn to the difficult question of waiver: can these conflicts ever be waived, and if so, what specific elements must a waiver contain in order to be valid?
Finally, we will address the practical challenges the Rule creates for lawyers who alter their financial arrangements with clients midstream. By exploring these issues in depth, participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how Rule 1.8(a) operates in practice, and how to steer clear of its common pitfalls.
