Illinois Clarifies Ownership Of Advanced Fees

The Illinois Supreme Court issued an opinion exploring the issue whether advanced fee payments are property of the lawyer on receipt. The case involved a claim by an adversary of the law firm’s client that the fees remained the client’s property and thus subject to attachment. The court held that the agreement between the client and the firm controlled, and that the fees were the firm’s property. The Illinois ARDC web site provides a summary of the opinion with a link to the decision.