Looking for clients who are in need of help? Become a panel member
of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service
Now accepting applications for service from now to June 30,
2009.
The State Bar's Lawyer
Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is a public service project
that benefits both lawyers and the public. How does it do this?
Each year, LRIS assistants field more than 40,000 calls from
Wisconsin citizens with various legal questions and problems. When
appropriate, assistants refer callers to community resources for
nonlegal help. For callers with basic legal questions, the assistant
records the questions for the next Lawyer
Hotline. For callers with legal problems who can afford to pay an
attorney, the assistant refers them to an LRIS attorney.
Internet Referral Service
The LRIS online service at LegalExplorer
is a second pool of clients for you. We're bringing the power of the
Internet to your door - and you don't have to purchase anything
additional to use it. Potential clients will have access to LRIS online
24 hours a day, seven days a week. That means increased exposure for
your firm!
LRIS attorneys are eligible for prescreened referrals in geographic
and practice areas that they have specified. Attorneys also agree to
charge no more than $20 for the first half-hour consultation. Fees for
time beyond the first half-hour are determined by the attorney and the
client. If the referral produces a fee of more than $200, LRIS receives
10 percent of the amount earned and collected. LRIS attorneys also pay a
nominal annual fee. Last year LRIS referred more than 8,500 callers for
consultations, generating a total of $2 million in legal fees for LRIS
lawyers.
All State Bar members are eligible to join LRIS. As an LRIS attorney,
you can receive referrals and participate as a "volunteer" Hotline
attorney. Reduced registration fees are available for new lawyers. If
you have any questions, please call or email Patricia Ruppert at
(800) 444-9404 ext 6131.
Lawyer Hotline
As one component of the State Bar's Lawyer Referral and Information
Service (LRIS), the Lawyer Hotline is a public service program that
provides answers to basic legal questions that can be answered in just a
few minutes. When a caller simply requires general legal information,
the assistants make an appointment for a Hotline volunteer to call the
client back.
Most Hotline questions involve landlord/tenant, small claims court,
basic family law, simple wills, bankruptcy and traffic issues that
attorneys can answer in several minutes during informal telephone
conversations. Attorneys are not asked to discuss specific documents,
court procedures other than small claims courts or topics requiring
complex evaluation or research. LRIS also will provide the questions to
participating attorneys ahead of time. And for public-sector volunteers,
the Bar has recently arranged liability coverage through Wisconsin
Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.
There are several different options for participating as a Hotline
volunteer:
- Evening hotline at the State Bar: For two hours
usually on Wednesdays, volunteers meet at the Bar Center in Madison to
return client calls. The Bar also provides a light dinner.
- Hometown hotline: These two-hour sessions are held
across the state. A host attorney or firm donates office space, and area
volunteers meet to return client calls. The Bar pays for telephone, food
and beverage expenses.
- Law firm hotline: If a firm has two or more
volunteer attorneys, the Bar brings the Hotline right to the firm --
either in person or by fax. Again, the Bar covers telephone and
refreshment costs.
To publicize the Hotline service and promote goodwill in your
community, the Bar will create and distribute press releases to your
local media describing your participation in the Hotline program. Two
hours is a small time commitment -- but for the people you help, it can
provide a vital service at a time when they really need it.
125 KB
