The Illinois ARDC has implemented a new, first-in-the-nation self-assessment program for practicing attorneys that do not carry malpractice insurance.

Historically, Illinois has not required lawyers to carry malpractice insurance. While that's still the case, effective January 1, 2018, lawyers that do not carry malpractice insurance are required to take a free, four-hour online self-assessment course about law firm operations before they register for 2019.

The program, known as proactive management based regulation (PMBR), is an interactive online course split into eight 30-minute modules. Now that PMBR is up and running, the ARDC has compiled some initial statistics about the program's usage and the feedback from lawyers that have participated.

James Grogan, ARDC deputy administrator and chief counsel, says the initial response is promising, with what the commission regards as some encouraging preliminary statistics. The program was launched for viewing on December 21, 2017. Between that date and January 31, 2018, 1,188 lawyers registered to take some or all of the PMBR courses. Learn more about  PMBR in the April Illinois Bar Journal.