Financial Hardship Award Policy
Purpose. The Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to strengthening the professional competence of Illinois lawyers through high-quality continuing legal education. As part of this mission, IICLE offers programs focused on Illinois law and practice and provides a financial hardship award program to assist attorneys for whom cost may be a barrier to participation.
Eligibility for Consideration. IICLE staff review all applications, and eligibility is determined case by case. Applicants may qualify for a financial hardship award if all of the following apply:
- The applicant holds an active license to practice law in Illinois or is seeking to reactivate it.
- The applicant has not received a financial hardship award from IICLE in the past three years.
- The applicant is not an IICLE Online All-Access subscriber or a subscriber to or participant in any other product, service or subscription that includes discounts on IICLE programs.
- The applicant has not purchased an IICLE MCLE Complete package in the last two years.
Evidence of Financial Hardship Eligibility. All applicants must submit a statement demonstrating that they meet at least one of the financial hardship award eligibility requirements, which must show that the applicant (1) is currently experiencing a personal or professional hardship significantly affecting earning capacity, or (2) is actively employed full-time with a nonprofit organization providing free or low-cost legal services to Illinois residents.
Award Parameters. IICLE grants financial hardship awards at its sole discretion, including determination of the award amount. There is no guarantee that any applicant will receive an award. Partial program discount awards are calculated based on the full, undiscounted tuition. The minimum value for any approved financial hardship award is set at 50%. Applications requesting awards for multiple programs or for groups of applicants will not be considered. Once a financial hardship award has been approved for an individual at a specific firm or organization, no further awards will be granted to other individuals from the same organization within the same calendar year.
Exclusions. This financial hardship policy applies only to IICLE continuing legal education programs and does not apply to: IICLE publications; IICLE forms; any bundled or packaged continuing legal education programs offered at a discount, including, but not limited to, MCLE Complete packages and subscription services. IICLE reserves the right, at its sole discretion, and at any time and for any reason, to exclude any program, product, or service from the financial hardship award program.
Application Process. To apply, complete and promptly submit the application form linked below. Applications for live, in person programs must be submitted at least five business days before the program date.