In many Chicago-area home sales, a signed contract still has one more checkpoint. The standard Multi-Board form gives the buyer’s and seller’s attorneys five business days after acceptance to approve the deal, reject it, or ask for changes. Indiana has no standard statewide attorney review period. Unless the offer includes an attorney-approval contingency, a signed Indiana purchase agreement moves forward on the contingencies written into it.
Selling on one side of the state line and buying on the other? Call Sash at (219) 808-1520.
Picture a couple selling a ranch in Lansing, Illinois and buying a two-story in Dyer, a short drive east. Both offers are accepted on the same Friday afternoon.
By Monday their Illinois attorney is reading the sale contract line by line. Across the state line, nobody is waiting on a lawyer’s sign-off, because their Indiana offer did not include an attorney-approval contingency.
Same couple, same week, two different clocks. Here is how each one works.
What attorney review means in Illinois
Many residential sales in the Chicago area are written on the Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract 8.0. The 2025 form lists the Chicago Association of REALTORS, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association among the groups that approved it. Paragraph 13 is the attorney review clause.
Within five business days after the Date of Acceptance, the attorneys for each side can serve notice to do one of four things:
- Approve the contract.
- Disapprove it. The disapproval cannot be based only on the purchase price.
- Propose changes to anything except the price. The form treats these as a counteroffer. If the two sides have not agreed in writing by ten business days after acceptance, either one can end the contract by notice.
- Make 13(d) proposals. A proposal that says it is made under subparagraph 13(d) is not a counteroffer. If the other side says no, neither party can cancel over it, and the contract stays in force.
If no notice of disapproval or proposed changes is served in time, the form says attorney review is waived and the contract stays in full force. Silence keeps the deal.
How the Illinois clock counts
Paragraph 25 of the form defines business days as Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Chicago time. Under the form’s notice rules, an email notice sent outside business hours takes effect at the first hour of the next business day.
Holidays matter. Here is how the windows could fall on a contract accepted Friday, November 20, 2026, with Thanksgiving in the middle.
Attorney review on a contract accepted Friday, November 20, 2026
| Day | What happens | Business day? |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, November 20 | Date of Acceptance | Start |
| Monday, November 23 | Attorneys start reading | Day 1 |
| Tuesday, November 24 | Day 2 | |
| Wednesday, November 25 | Day 3 | |
| Thursday, November 26 | Thanksgiving, a federal holiday | No |
| Friday, November 27 | Not a federal holiday, so it counts | Day 4 |
| Monday, November 30 | Last day to approve, disapprove, or propose changes | Day 5 |
| Monday, December 7 | If proposed changes are still open, either side can terminate after this | Day 10 |
Checked November 9, 2026 against the Multi-Board 8.0 form and the 2026 federal holiday list. We counted from the first business day after acceptance. Your attorney sets the exact deadline for your contract.
One more overlap. Under paragraph 15 of the same form, a buyer who chose the inspection option also has five business days after acceptance to send repair requests, with the same ten-business-day cutoff. In Illinois, attorney review and inspection talks usually run side by side. Our guide to the home inspection contingency covers how that piece works on the Indiana side.
Why lawyers sit in the middle of Illinois deals
In 1966 the Illinois Supreme Court decided Chicago Bar Association v. Quinlan and Tyson. The court said real estate brokers may fill in the blanks on the customary offer or contract form. Drawing or filling in deeds, mortgages, and other title documents is the practice of law. The court noted those papers are not usually signed until after title has been examined and approved by the buyer’s attorney.
That habit shows up in the customs. Fidelity National Title’s Real Estate Laws and Customs by State lists the customary Illinois closing entity as a title company, an attorney, or others. In practice many Illinois buyers and sellers each hire their own attorney, and the contract is built around that.
What Indiana does instead
Indiana settled the same question three years earlier. In State ex rel. Indiana State Bar Association v. Indiana Real Estate Association (1963), the Indiana Supreme Court allowed licensed brokers to fill in attorney-prepared forms, including listing agreements, offers to purchase, and purchase agreements. Brokers may not give opinions on the parties’ legal rights or on the legal effect of those papers. The court left deeds to attorneys.
The Indiana Association of REALTORS says the same thing from the other side. Making substantial changes to one of its forms is unauthorized practice of law unless an attorney makes them. If a seller needs special wording, the seller’s attorney should prepare it.
For closings, the same Fidelity guide lists the customary Indiana closing entity as a title company or others. Indiana has no standard statewide attorney review period. Some Indiana purchase agreements include an attorney-approval contingency, and parties can write one into an offer with a deadline, so check what yours says. Otherwise, the legal review in an Indiana deal, if you want one, belongs before you sign.
After signing, what protects an Indiana buyer is the contingencies in the agreement: the inspection, the loan, the appraisal, and the title commitment. Your earnest money rides on those deadlines, so know them before you sign.
Illinois and Indiana side by side
| Illinois (Multi-Board 8.0) | Indiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney review window | Five business days after acceptance | No standard statewide window, unless the agreement includes an attorney-approval contingency |
| What attorneys can change | Any term except price. Changes are a counteroffer unless marked 13(d) | Changes after signing need both sides to agree |
| Price | Not a basis for disapproval | Set when both sides sign |
| If nobody objects | Review is waived and the contract stands | Contract stands, subject to its contingencies |
| Customary closing entity | Title company, attorney, or others | Title company or others |
| Who prepares the deed | An attorney | An attorney |
Sources: the Multi-Board 8.0 form, Fidelity National Title’s customs guide, and the 1966 Illinois and 1963 Indiana Supreme Court decisions linked above. Both courts reserved deeds for attorneys, apart from people signing for themselves. Customs describe the usual practice. Your contract controls.
If your move crosses the state line
Back to the couple from Lansing. Their Illinois sale and Indiana purchase now run on two separate tracks, and the dates have to fit together.
- Selling in Illinois. Line up your attorney before you list, not after the offer comes in. The five-day window starts at acceptance, and your attorney needs the contract that same day.
- Buying in Indiana. Read the purchase agreement before you sign. If you want a lawyer to read it too, send it before you sign, not after, or ask about adding an attorney-approval contingency to your offer.
- Both at once. If the Indiana purchase depends on the Illinois sale, the dates in each contract have to match. Our guide to buying and selling at the same time walks through the order.
- The money side. Closing costs, title customs, and transfer stamps differ too. See Indiana vs Illinois closing costs and title.
Moving east for good? Start with our Illinois to Indiana relocation guide, then check how long it takes to close.
Questions to ask before you sign
In Illinois:
- Who is my attorney, and will they have the contract the day it is accepted?
- What is the exact fifth business day on my contract?
- Will any proposals go out under 13(c), which can end the deal, or 13(d), which cannot?
In Indiana:
- Do I want an attorney to read this purchase agreement before I sign it?
- Which contingencies protect me, and on what date does each one end?
- Is anything in this deal unusual enough to need an attorney, like an estate sale, a land contract, or a title problem?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau puts it plainly. Unless you hire an attorney to represent you, no one else at the closing exclusively represents your interests. The lender’s or seller’s attorney works for them, not you.
Work with Realest
Talk to a Realest agent
Buying or selling in Northwest Indiana or the Chicago suburbs? Call Sash, or take a look at homes for sale.
Call Sash at (219) 808-1520
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Selling a home before you buy? Ask for your home value or call Sash at (219) 808-1520.
Would you rather write? Send us a note.
Have an accepted offer on one side of the line and a search on the other? Send us a note and we’ll map both calendars with you.
Sash Joveski and Pamela “Pam” Joveski are founding members of Realest. Pam’s number is (219) 801-0432. Realest is licensed in Indiana and Illinois, insured, and is at 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point.
The featured image is an original graphic made for this guide on November 9, 2026. It does not show a real contract, office, or address.
Contract forms, court rules, and local customs can change, and every deal is different. This is general information, not legal advice. Realest is a real estate brokerage, not a law firm. Talk with an Illinois or Indiana attorney about your contract. The Lansing and Dyer couple is an example, not real clients.
Sources
- Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract 8.0 (form approved February 2025), PDF posted by the Oak Park Area Association of REALTORS
- Multi-Board Contract 8.0 page, Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association (official form source)
- Chicago Bar Association v. Quinlan and Tyson, Inc., 34 Ill. 2d 116 (1966)
- State ex rel. Indiana State Bar Association v. Indiana Real Estate Association, 244 Ind. 214 (1963)
- Legal Q&A on altering IAR forms, Indiana Association of REALTORS
- Real Estate Laws and Customs by State, Fidelity National Title
- Do I need an attorney or anyone else to represent me when closing on a mortgage?, CFPB
- Shop for title insurance and other closing services, CFPB
- 2026 federal holidays, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Ask Realest
Got a short question before you sign?
Ask Realest answers short buyer and seller questions in plain English. For timing, see Ask Realest on how long closing takes. For inspections, see Ask Realest on home inspections.
When you’re ready to talk it through, contact us or call Sash at (219) 808-1520.
FAQ
What is attorney review in Illinois?
Attorney review is a short window written into the Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract 8.0, a form widely used in the Chicago area. Within five business days after the contract is accepted, the buyer’s and seller’s attorneys can approve it, disapprove it, or propose changes. If neither attorney serves notice in time, the review is waived and the contract stays in force.
How long is attorney review in Illinois?
Under paragraph 13 of the Multi-Board 8.0 contract, it is five business days after the Date of Acceptance. If attorneys propose changes and the parties have not agreed in writing by ten business days after acceptance, either side can terminate by notice. The form defines business days as Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Your attorney sets the exact deadline for your contract.
Can an attorney change the price during attorney review?
No. Under the Multi-Board 8.0 form, an attorney cannot disapprove the contract based solely on the purchase price, and proposed changes cannot include the price. Changes to other terms count as a counteroffer, unless the proposal specifically refers to subparagraph 13(d).
Does Indiana have an attorney review period?
Not as a standard step. Indiana residential deals customarily close through a title company, and Indiana real estate brokers fill in attorney-prepared forms such as the purchase agreement. Indiana has no standard statewide attorney review period, so a signed agreement pauses for attorney approval only if it includes an attorney-approval contingency. If you want a lawyer to review an Indiana purchase agreement, do it before you sign, or ask an attorney about adding an approval contingency with a deadline to your offer.
Do I need my own attorney to buy a house?
It depends on the state and the deal. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that unless you hire your own attorney, no one else at the closing exclusively represents your interests. Many Illinois buyers and sellers hire an attorney as a matter of course. In Indiana it is optional, and some buyers hire one for estates, land contracts, unusual title issues, or a first purchase.
How do I talk to Realest about a deal that crosses the state line?
Call Sash at (219) 808-1520 or send us a note through our contact page. Realest is licensed in Indiana and Illinois. We are not attorneys and do not give legal advice, but we can help you line up both calendars and know when to bring in your attorney.