In the November 2003 edition of this newsletter, I introduced you to the ARDC's Web site and told you that portions of the site were still under construction. Recently, an important new feature was added, and the site is now a means for performing research on ethics issues and decisions in Illinois.

Go to www.iardc.org and click on the Rules and Decision box in the left-hand column, to reach the screen for "Disciplinary Reports and Decisions Search." Here, you will have the choice of doing a word search, by typing your entries in the box, and you can modify your search by selecting fields as you scroll down the page (or you may perform a field search without entering specific words to search).

The field search choices allow you to find documents by selecting various criteria, separately or together: disciplinary case number; attorney name and/or registration number; disposition (the result ordered or recommended, such as "censure," "disbarment," etc.); suspension length; document type; proceeding type (disciplinary, disability, reinstatement, or disability restoration); procedure (either a consented or an adjudicated case); the authoring judge or Board member (the results can include reports and recommendations of the Hearing Board and the Review Board); the Administrator's or the Respondent's counsel; and date.

After you make your choices and "submit" your search, you will find a results page listing the matches for your search criteria, sorted by "Attorney," "Date," "Document Type" and "Disposition." Click on the attorney's name to retrieve the document, with your search terms highlighted, and you will also find, at the bottom of the screen, a navigation bar that allows you to access other documents regarding the attorney or the particular disciplinary case, to progress through your search results according to "hits" or cases, to edit your search, to print a document, or to verify the status of the attorney whose document is displayed by clicking on "Lawyer Search."

The searchable database includes all Illinois Supreme Court published decisions; Supreme Court miscellaneous record (M.R.) orders of discipline, Hearing Board and Review Board reports and recommendations dating back to January 1, 1990; disciplinary complaints filed dating back to December 27, 2000; and petitions for discipline on consent, petitions for reciprocal discipline, and motions for disbarment on consent dating back to January 1, 1990. New filings will be available within one business day of their issuance or filing.