- Requirement
- High-school credential
- Status
- Statutory exemption
- Practical action
- Document active Illinois attorney status instead
Attorney applicants
The Illinois attorney exemption is specific, not total
Being an attorney does not itself create an Illinois real estate broker license. The statute excuses two numbered broker qualifications for a lawyer currently admitted by the Illinois Supreme Court and in active standing. The examination, application, fee, character, and sponsorship rules remain.
Last updated: August 1, 2026
The answer first
Direct answer: An applicant currently admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois and currently in active standing is exempt from the high-school credential requirement in Section 5-27(a)(3) and the 75-hour pre-license education requirement in Section 5-27(a)(5). The statute does not exempt the attorney from being at least 18, meeting the good-moral-character standard, personally taking and passing the authorized written examination, or filing a valid application with the required fee. The attorney also cannot perform licensed brokerage until valid sponsorship is registered. Current rules separately exempt active Illinois attorneys from broker post-license education and continuing education, but they must still renew the license and follow all substantive practice rules.
75-hour course
Waived for an active Illinois attorney
Broker examination
Still required
Application and fee
Still required
Active brokerage
Requires registered sponsorship
Read the exemption by item number
Section 5-27(b) names only items (3) and (5) of subsection (a). Item (3) is the high-school or equivalent credential. Item (5) is the approved 75-hour education. Item (6), the written examination, is outside the waiver. So are age, character, application, fee, and sponsorship.
This item-by-item reading prevents two common errors: buying education that the attorney route does not require and assuming the bar admission substitutes for the broker examination. The current PSI booklet contains a separate Illinois-attorney eligibility process, which should be followed exactly.
- Requirement
- 75-hour pre-license education
- Status
- Statutory exemption
- Practical action
- Do not upload a standard course certificate unless PSI asks
- Requirement
- Authorized broker examination
- Status
- Required
- Practical action
- Complete PSI attorney eligibility and pass
- Requirement
- Application, fee, sponsorship
- Status
- Required
- Practical action
- Use current IDFPR process and sponsor for active status
Establish attorney eligibility with PSI
Use the attorney instructions in the current Illinois candidate booklet rather than creating a standard school-completion claim. The key fact is current admission and active standing with the Illinois Supreme Court. A law degree, admission in another state, retired or inactive Illinois status, or work as in-house counsel should not be treated as the statutory qualification without confirmation.
Make the name on the attorney record, PSI account, identification, exam result, and license application consistent. Resolve suffixes, former names, and spelling differences before the testing date if possible.
- Verify active Illinois attorney status in the official record.
- Use PSI's attorney candidate category and evidence instructions.
- Prepare both national and Illinois examination content required by the current outline.
- Preserve eligibility correspondence and the passing report.
Separate legal competence from brokerage authority
An attorney may have legal authority to advise clients and exemptions for particular legal services, but a broker license creates a regulated brokerage role with sponsorship, agency, advertising, supervision, record, compensation, and consumer-protection duties. The attorney should define which capacity applies in each engagement and avoid implying that one professional relationship automatically creates the other.
Sponsoring-broker policies can restrict forms, communications, escrow handling, advertising, outside business, conflicts, and compensation. Review those policies alongside professional-conduct duties before selecting a sponsor.
Know the education exemptions after licensure
Section 1450.410 states that broker post-license education does not apply to attorneys currently admitted to practice by the Illinois Supreme Court. Section 5-70 exempts active Illinois attorneys from continuing education. These exemptions do not cancel the renewal application, renewal fee, expiration date, sponsorship requirement, or duty to obey real estate law.
Attorney status can change. A broker relying on an exemption should verify current eligibility for each renewal and retain the records IDFPR may require. Never assume an exemption continues after inactive, retired, suspended, or other changed bar status.
Example: admitted elsewhere is not the same route
Situation: Taylor is an active Missouri attorney, lives in Illinois, and has never been admitted by the Illinois Supreme Court. A course seller says any attorney can skip the Illinois education and exam.
Best response: The seller's statement is broader than Section 5-27. The waiver is for applicants currently admitted to practice by the Illinois Supreme Court and in active standing, and it does not waive the broker exam. Taylor should ask PSI and IDFPR which standard or out-of-state route applies and should not claim the Illinois-attorney exemption.
Quick questions
Do Illinois attorneys need the 75-hour real estate course?
An applicant currently admitted by the Illinois Supreme Court and in active standing is exempt from the 75-hour pre-license education requirement.
Do Illinois attorneys take the real estate broker exam?
Yes. Section 5-27(b) does not waive item (6), the authorized written examination. Follow PSI's current attorney eligibility process.
Does any state bar admission qualify?
The statutory broker exemption specifically names current admission to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois and current active standing.
Do attorney brokers need a sponsoring broker?
Yes, before engaging in activities covered by the Real Estate License Act. The attorney exemption does not remove sponsorship.
Do active Illinois attorneys need post-license or CE courses?
Current law and rules exempt qualifying active Illinois attorneys from broker post-license education and continuing education. Renewal and all substantive licensing duties still apply.
Primary sources and review status
- 225 ILCS 454/5-27, broker qualifications and attorney exemption
- PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet dated June 24, 2026
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.410, post-license education exemption
- 225 ILCS 454/5-70, continuing-education exemption
Checked against the cited primary sources through August 1, 2026. Current IDFPR, Illinois law, and PSI instructions control if a rule or procedure changes. This guide is educational information, not legal advice.