Chicago Bar Association FY2021 filing

Not tax-deductible

Chicago, IL501(c)(6)EIN 36-0896550Revenue $4.1M in FY2021

On file with the IRSchicagobar.org321 S Plymouth CT 7th Floor, 60604-3942 · Chicago, ILTax-exempt since Mar 1952

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Provide support to individual members through professional activities, continuing legal education, practice committees, legislative updates, publications and other resources to promote excellence and maintain professional standards. Additionally, to offer the public useful legal information.

$471K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(6)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
No
Donations are not tax-deductible
Worth a look: the IRS does not list gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
6 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $711K a year · 14% of revenue · last 6 filings
Looks good: a surplus in 6 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Pay to officers and key staff
$471K
to officers and key staff · 13% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 13% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
11 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 11.2 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $82K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$2.8M
22% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 22% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
22
of 22 voting members
Looks good: 22 of 22 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$4.1M
-34% vs prior year
Spent
$3.7M
Net assets
$9.8M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$4.1M
FY2021▼ -34%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$6.3M
FY2021$4.1M
FY2022$5.0M
FY2023$4.9M
FY2024$5.3M
FY2025$5.0M
Expenses
$3.7M
FY2021▼ -20%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$4.6M
FY2021$3.7M
FY2022$4.1M
FY2023$4.5M
FY2024$4.9M
FY2025$4.5M
Net assets
$9.8M
FY2021▲ +14%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$8.6M
FY2021$9.8M
FY2022$10.0M
FY2023$10.1M
FY2024$10.8M
FY2025$11.2M

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending May 2021) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Mar 1952.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Who runs it and what they're paid

34 people listed on the 990; $471K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Director (until 8/31/20)
$213,614Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Director
$136,077Pt VII · Sec A
V.p. of Sales
$121,678Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
First V.p.
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Second V.p.
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Terrence M Murphy————$213,614$271,695
Elizabeth McMeen$190,592$189,785$172,619$172,619$136,077$129,556
Tyler Sill$130,359$127,294$125,308$125,308$121,678$120,812

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See Chicago Bar Association executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Promote legal excellence and professional standards through resources and education, while offering the public useful legal information.

Questions for Chicago Bar Association

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

Continuing Legal Education

on January 1, 2006, the Supreme Court of Illinois established minimum continuing legal education ("MCLE") requirements for Illinois attorneys under Illinois Supreme Court Rules 790-798. To help its members meet the plan's requirements, the Chicago Bar Association developed no-cost and low-cost programming by offering accredited committee…

Pt IX · col B
02

General Bar Activities

organize relevant events to foster the goals of the Association. Several award ceremonies are held during the year to honor outstanding contributions and achievements made towards the legal profession.

Pt IX · col B
03

Lawyer Referral Service

as part of its community service, the Chicago Bar Association maintains a knowledgeable staff of phone interviewers to aid callers needing assistance in finding a suitable attorney. To meet the standards set by the American Bar Association, a panel of over 250 pre-screened, qualified lawyers experienced in almost every area of law are…

Pt IX · col B

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$82K
Grants paid · 12 grants · $1.8M · 2019–2024
Unitemized GrantFY2024$304,096
The Chicago Bar Assoc Judicial Evaluation FundFY2024$70,747
Unitemized GrantFY2023$288,058
The Chicago Bar Assoc Judicial Evaluation FundFY2023$94,200
Unitemized GrantFY2022$189,202
The Chicago Bar Assoc Judicial Evaluation FundFY2022$101,411
Unitemized GrantFY2021$201,148
The Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation FundFY2021$97,337
Unitemized GrantFY2020$115,936
The Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation FundFY2020$92,719
Unitemized GrantFY2019$116,019
The Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation FundFY2019$97,838

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$4.1M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$3.6M
Investment incomeLn 3$394K
Other incomeLn 4–11$132K
Money outPt IX
$3.7M
Ln 25
Owns and owesPt X
$9.8M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3.4M
Total assetsLn 16$12.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$2.8M
PeoplePt VI, VII
34
listed · VII A
PaidVII A3
Voting boardVI 1a22
IndependentVI 1b22
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$8K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$3.6M
Investment incomeLn 3$394K
Other incomeLn 4–11$132K
Gains on assetsLn 7$305K
Total revenueLn 12$4.1M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$215
SavingsLn 2$3.4M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$3.4M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$5.5M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$3.1M
Other assetsLn 15$410K
Total assetsLn 16$12.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$2.8M
Net assetsLn 32$9.8M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 539
VolunteersI 6500
Fiscal year endsHeaderMay
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aNo
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.8M$3.4M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$3.9M$5.5M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$3.4M$3.1M
Total assetsLn 16$10.6M$12.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$2.0M$2.8M
Net assetsLn 32$8.6M$9.8M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$93K
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$116K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$354K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$920K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$24K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$122K
Payroll taxesLn 10$133K
Management feesLn 11a$41K
Accounting feesLn 11c$60K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$91K
Investment management feesLn 11f$37K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$73K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$170K
Office expensesLn 13$241K
Information technologyLn 14$181K
OccupancyLn 16$528K
TravelLn 17$117
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$12K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$249K
InsuranceLn 23$85K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$116K
All other expensesLn 24e$8K
Total functional expensesLn 25$3.7M

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $5.0M$4.5M$424K$11.2M 990 PDF
FY2024 $5.3M$4.9M$378K$10.8M 990 PDF
FY2023 $4.9M$4.5M$340K$10.1M 990 PDF
FY2022 $5.0M$4.1M$933K$10.0M 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $4.1M$3.7M$491K$9.8M 990 PDF
FY2020 $6.3M$4.6M$1.7M$8.6M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $4,145,417 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $17,476$8,463
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $4,355,202$3,610,347
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $1,731,778$394,330
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $165,374$132,277
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $6,269,830$4,145,417
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $213,857$208,655
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $1,892,247$1,552,466
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $2,463,772$1,892,821
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $4,569,876$3,653,942
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $1,699,954$491,475
Part VI · Governance 22 of 22 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body22
VI-1b Independent voting members22
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $4,145,417 across 8 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for −$50,469 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$8,463
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$8,463
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $3,463,207 · Unrelated business $67,175 · Excluded from tax $75,000$3,605,382
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $89,127$89,127
VIII-5 RoyaltiesUnrelated business $105,570 · Excluded from tax $78,541$184,111
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossUnrelated business $3,600$3,600
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $305,203$305,203
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $3,468,172 · Unrelated business $120,911 · Excluded from tax $547,871$4,145,417
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $3,653,942 across 22 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$92,719
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$115,936
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staff$353,801
IX-7 Other salaries and wages$919,665
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$23,593
IX-9 Other employee benefits$122,074
IX-10 Payroll taxes$133,333
IX-11a Management fees$40,600
IX-11c Accounting fees$59,748
IX-11d Lobbying fees$91,000
IX-11f Investment management fees$37,277
IX-11g Other fees for services$73,211
IX-12 Advertising and promotion$170,002
IX-13 Office expenses$240,907
IX-14 Information technology$181,367
IX-16 Occupancy$528,095
IX-17 Travel$117
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$12,277
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortization$248,844
IX-23 Insurance$85,134
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)$116,418
IX-24e All other expenses$7,824
IX-25 Total functional expenses$3,653,942
Part X · Balance sheet $12,596,088 assets, 18 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $215$215
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $2,844,946$3,413,192
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $88,604$81,667
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $30,355$30,335
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $26,986$7,072
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $3,378,897$3,119,610
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $3,892,554$5,532,583
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $1,000$1,000
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $355,723$410,414
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $10,619,280$12,596,088
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $765,770$644,670
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $1,270,190$1,800,107
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $0$361,905
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $2,035,960$2,806,682
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $5,393,899$5,988,089
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $3,189,421$3,801,317
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $8,583,320$9,789,406
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $10,619,280$12,596,088
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $9,789,406 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$4,145,417
XI-2 Total expenses$3,653,942
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$491,475
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$8,583,320
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$714,611
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$9,789,406

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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