Oct. 21, 2009 – On Oct. 1, 10 Door County Bar Association members responded to area residents’ legal questions through the State Bar’s Hometown Hotline, a service of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
Hometown Hotline is a community service and team building opportunity for local bar associations and law firms. The local bar provides volunteers and a venue for returning telephone calls during a prearranged time. LRIS brings questions submitted by the public and a light dinner for the volunteer attorneys.
Attorneys volunteering their expertise at the Door County Bar Association September Hometown Hotline include: (seated from left) Steve Kase, Robert Ross, and Trudy Toft. Standing from left: Jim Ebbeson, Mark Jinkins, Steve Johnson, David Clowers, Collin Dahl, Phil Johnson. Missing from photo, Jennifer Moeller.
Title Services of Door County provided office space and phones for Door County attorneys, who answered questions on a variety of topics, from landlord/tenant issues to small claims property disputes and consumer questions.
“Attorneys can choose from several hotline options to participate in the program,” says Hotline Coordinator Pat Ruppert. “All hotlines are for a two-hour time commitment, but time and location vary to provide options that can work for everyone.”
There are three ways to participate as a hotline volunteer:
Evening Hotline – Volunteers meet at the Bar Center in Madison, usually on Wednesdays, to return calls to the public.
Hometown Hotline – These sessions are held statewide. A host attorney, law firm, or organization donates office space and area volunteers meet to return calls.
Law Firm Hotline – Firms with two or more volunteer attorneys can receive a list of callers and questions from the State Bar.
The State Bar will create and distribute press releases to local media announcing the program. For more information, contact Ruppert at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6131, or (608) 250-6131.
Related: More about the State Bar’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service
