MinceR: It seems lawyers like to handle cases you can do yourself a lot of the time.

I see them advertising for FOID appeals. All I really did was fill out the FOID appeal papers, sign them, and include several sheets of paper that explained, item by item, the facts of the situation, what the law says, and that it was untenable for the state to legally argue that there was any underlying reason why I shouldn't have my FOID card back, and that if they ruled against me I would take them to court and sue them there.

Including for any financial costs that I had to undertake in order to get the ruling.