Sorling Northrup

What Sorling Northrup does

Sorling Northrup is a private law firm headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, founded in 1944 by Carl A. Sorling, B. Lacey Catron, and John Hardin and operating today under the legal name Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen & Cochran, Ltd. The firm employs more than 40 attorneys, paralegals, and support staff across two offices (Springfield headquarters and Chicago, opened in 2012), making it one of the largest downstate Illinois law firms. It serves three primary customer segments—businesses (both privately and publicly held), individuals, and governmental organizations—through approximately 35 practice areas including banking, litigation, estate planning, real estate, labor and employment, taxation, government affairs, health law, environmental law, energy law, immigration, securities, and personal injury.

The firm's service portfolio is built on traditional legal expertise rather than proprietary technology. Offerings span litigation (commercial, insurance defense, government civil, appeals), transactional and regulatory work (banking, securities, real estate, contracts, administrative, environmental, energy), and personal services (family law, estate planning, immigration, mediation). A core differentiator is the firm's Springfield location in the Illinois state capital, which gives attorneys regular access to the Illinois General Assembly, state agencies, and local governmental bodies, reinforced by attorneys with prior governmental or regulatory experience. The firm maintains a Summer Associate Program and active memberships in American, Illinois State, and Sangamon County Bar Associations to support talent recruitment and professional visibility.

Sorling Northrup operates a professional services revenue model combining hourly billing for most matters with contingency fee arrangements for personal injury, wrongful death, and products liability cases. Distribution is through direct client engagement at office locations and on-site at client facilities, supported by a professional website and attorney thought leadership. The firm has no disclosed external private equity or venture capital backing, is owned internally by attorney-shareholders under a traditional partnership structure, and has not announced acquisitions, mergers, or significant fundraising events.

Name

Sorling Northrup

Legal name

Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen & Cochran, Ltd.

Website

https://sorlinglaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sorling Northrup is a private Illinois law firm with 40+ attorneys in Springfield and Chicago, serving businesses, individuals, and governmental organizations across approximately 35 practice areas including banking, litigation, real estate, government affairs, and personal injury.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK), State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration (BPAIABAE)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Litigation practice
• Estate planning
• Government affairs
• Business law counsel

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Standard legal fee arrangement where clients are billed for attorney time at hourly rates. The firm has attorneys practicing in over 30 distinct areas of law including banking, litigation, estate planning, real estate, labor & employment, and government affairs.
2. Legal Services - Contingency Fees: For personal injury matters, fees are typically based on a percentage of any recovery earned on behalf of the client, by way of settlement or judgment. This contingent fee arrangement is common in personal injury, wrongful death, and products liability claims.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sorling Northrup is a full-service law firm delivering legal counsel and representation across more than 30 practice areas, including commercial litigation, banking, real estate, taxation, estate planning, family law, labor and employment, government affairs, health law, and environmental law. The firm serves businesses, individuals, and governmental organizations from offices in Springfield (headquarters) and Chicago, leveraging its location in the Illinois state capital to provide unique access to state government and regulatory matters.

Product overview

Sorling Northrup is a law firm offering comprehensive legal services across 35 practice areas to businesses, individuals, and governmental organizations throughout Illinois. The firm operates from offices in Springfield and Chicago, serving clients from Cairo to Chicago. Practice areas include Family Law, Estate Planning, Business Advising, Commercial Litigation, Taxation, Real Estate, Labor & Employment, Government Affairs, Health Law, Environmental Law, Energy Law, Immigration, Bankruptcy, Banking, and more. The firm employs over 40 attorneys and staff, offering both litigation and transactional services, with particular expertise in serving regulated industries and governmental entities given its location in the Illinois state capital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Law Domestic relations matters including contested and uncontested divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, domestic violence, and guardianship for individuals.
• Estate Planning Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, estate and gift tax planning, and retirement account planning for individuals and families.
• Trusts Trust formation and administration including revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, testamentary trusts, and land trusts.
• Probate & Trust Administration Estate administration, fiduciary representation, and beneficiary counseling for probate estates and trusts.
• Personal Injury Legal representation for personal injury victims including auto accidents, wrongful death, products liability, and railroad claims.
• Banking Banking legal services including regulatory compliance, collections, mergers, and acquisitions for financial institutions.
• Bankruptcy Bankruptcy representation for creditors and debtors including Chapter 11 reorganizations and liquidation proceedings.
• Business Advising Comprehensive business legal counsel covering entity formation, contracts, taxation, and regulatory compliance.
• Transactions Business purchase, sale, combination, restructuring, and private/public financing counseling for corporations and partnerships.
• Commercial Litigation Complex commercial disputes, corporate litigation, and trial work throughout Illinois courts.
• Appeals Appellate representation before the Illinois Supreme Court, Appellate Courts, and U.S. Seventh Circuit.
• Real Estate Acquisition, construction, leasing, financing, and sale of industrial, commercial, and residential real estate properties.
• Zoning Zoning services for real estate owners, buyers, sellers, and developers including variance petitions, reclassification, and municipal representation.
• Taxation Federal and Illinois state tax planning, audits, litigation, return preparation, and compliance for individuals and businesses.
• Securities Private placements, securities litigation, bond offerings for local governments, and regulatory enforcement defense.
• Labor & Employment Law Employment law counsel covering discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, workers compensation, and collective bargaining.
• Workers Compensation Representation for employers and insurance companies before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and appellate courts.
• Employee Benefits ERISA-compliant employee benefit plan design, implementation, and administration for plan sponsors and fiduciaries.
• Immigration Law Family-based and employment-based immigration services including visa applications, green cards, and citizenship petitions.
• Health Law

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C. A St. Louis-based regional full-service firm with comparable healthcare, banking, governmental, and litigation practices serving institutional clients in a similar mid-size state-capital-anchored market.
• Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC: A similarly-sized regional full-service firm based in Michigan/Illinois with comparable banking, real estate, and litigation practices serving institutional clients in a similar mid-market geography outside major metro centers.

Direct peers

• Litchfield Cavo LLP: A Chicago-based mid-size full-service firm with strong insurance defense, commercial litigation, and governmental practices; competes for similar Illinois institutional, insurance, and corporate clients at similar price points.
• Brown, Hay & Stephens: A long-standing Springfield, Illinois-based full-service law firm with a comparable downstate Illinois footprint and similar government affairs, banking, and litigation practices; directly competes for the same institutional and governmental clients in Sangamon County and surrounding areas.
• Hinshaw & Culbertson: A larger Chicago-headquartered full-service firm with a statewide Illinois presence and notable insurance defense, governmental, and litigation practices; competes for the same mid-market corporate, governmental, and insurance clients across Illinois.
• Heyl Royster Voelker & Allen: A Peoria-based, downstate-Illinois-focused full-service law firm of similar size and practice breadth, including strong governmental, insurance defense, and litigation practices; competes head-to-head for regional Illinois institutional clients outside Chicago.

Broad incumbents

• Polsinelli: A national full-service firm with a deep Chicago office and broad healthcare, financial services, and real estate practices; competes for the same institutional and corporate clients seeking multi-jurisdictional counsel on Illinois matters.
• Greenberg Traurig: A large national full-service firm with a Chicago office and strong governmental, healthcare, energy, and M&A practices; competes for higher-end institutional clients on Illinois-centric matters where Sorling Northrup's government relations expertise is relevant.
• Ice Miller: A larger Midwest-based full-service firm with comparable government affairs, regulatory, and corporate practices across state capitals; competes for similar institutional and governmental clients in the broader Midwest corridor.
• Husch Blackwell: A larger Midwest/Central U.S. full-service firm with strong governmental, energy, healthcare, and real estate practices; competes for the same institutional clients seeking statewide or multi-state representation with downstate Illinois needs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sorling-northrup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sorling Northrup