Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois

**About** The Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois (LTF) supports civil legal aid for low-income people in Illinois. Established as a non-profit foundation in 1983, LTF makes grants from revenue generated by the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program as well as a legal aid fee assessed on Illinois lawyers as part of the annual attorney registration process. LTF’s grants support non-profit organizations that provide a legal safety net for low-income people with desperate needs and nowhere else to turn. In 2022, the legal aid grantees funded by LTF provided services in nearly 110,000 legal matters. **History** LTF was established by the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations in 1983. Subsequently the Illinois Supreme Court designated LTF to administer the Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) program and make grants to support the provision of legal aid throughout Illinois. Today LTF makes grants from revenue from IOLTA as well as the annual Legal Aid Fee assessed on active Illinois lawyers at the direction of the Supreme Court. In June 2012 the [Supreme Court increased the fee to $95](http://www.state.il.us/court/media/PressRel/2012/060512.pdf) \[PDF\] beginning with 2013 attorney registrations. Since 1983, LTF has made more than $120 million in grants to non-profit legal aid organizations in Illinois. In the current year, LTF is distributing more than $9 million in grants to 37 legal organizations with offices in 20 counties throughout the state. ([LTF’s current grants are listed here](https://www.ltf.org/ltf-grants/current-grants/ "Current Grants").) **Improving the Legal Aid System** LTF’s approach to grant-making has prioritized building strong and effective organizations and fostering innovation. Grants are awarded through an annual, competitive process that ensures the legal aid system generates a return on LTF’s investments.