April 17, 2024 – Whether you want to grow your practice with new clients, add a new area of practice, or expand into another market, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) connects lawyers with prescreened clients who have indicated a willingness and ability to pay for your legal services.

LRIS is looking for lawyers of all levels of experience for its referral service. Memberships run annually from July 1 to June 30. Join now through June 2024, and receive registration free for April, May, and June this year.

LRIS Helps Access to the Legal System

A membership with LRIS can help you grow your practice with new clients, add a new area of practice, or expand into another market.

“LRIS is ideal for attorneys who are new to a region or an area of law and those looking to develop a book of business,” says Steven Krueger of Green Bay, chair of the LRIS committee.

LRIS is a great way for lawyers to gain experience in a specific area of practice – lawyers choose to receive referrals only in the practice areas they prefer.

“The service is a great way to establish a focus,” Krueger said. “You can choose to answer calls in only the specific areas of law in which you have an interest.”

LRIS is also a resource when lawyers are scarce – such as in rural communities. “Legal services can be inaccessible to people for a number of reasons. LRIS offers attorneys the ability to bridge service gaps in their communities and provide valuable access to quality legal services that might otherwise be out of reach,” Krueger said.

LRIS also gives attorneys an opportunity to give back to the legal community by answering a quick legal question. “Many calls do not warrant significant work and can be resolved very quickly and efficiently,” Krueger said. “Sometimes all the ‘client’ needs is to hear that they don’t have a strong case or that the pursuit of their claim might not be worthwhile.”

Explaining the legal process is not complicated for attorneys, but the concept is often foreign to the general public. “It’s a service that doesn’t take much effort but leaves a lasting impression on the caller,” he said.

How LRIS Works

Every year, LRIS legal assistants field more than 20,000 contacts from members of the public who are seeking legal information and referrals to attorneys.

When members of the public contact LRIS via the "I Need a Lawyer" LRIS webpage on WisBar.org, experienced legal assistants conduct a careful screening before referring matters to member attorneys. In fiscal year 2022-23, assistants handled 28,984 calls that resulted in 9,122 referrals.

When you become a LRIS panel member, you choose the areas of practice – up to 60 specific areas – and the geographic locations for client referrals, and choose whether to receive referrals only by phone, or by phone and online.

“It is very important to choose those specific areas in your profile,” Krueger said. “That way, our staff knows who to send your way.”

LRIS Online Portal

Panel members have access to LRIS Online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there is no additional charge for participation. The portal allows panel members to more efficiently track LRIS referrals and manage their memberships.

Accessible from anywhere via an internet connection, the portal allows you to:

• get referrals via email;

• receive automatic case tracking and status reporting;

• keep track of settlement fees and payments;

• submit quarterly reports digitally;

• edit your demographic profile and update your availability to take referrals; and

• renew your LRIS membership and pay online.

LRIS Members: Showcase your Superstar Legal Knowledge

LRIS partners with the Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) to produce and distribute a legal column – “Know Your Legal Rights” – to its 200-plus member media outlets across the state.

As a LRIS member, you are invited to serve as a subject matter expert by writing for this column (500 to 800 words). Stories may appear in print, online, or both in publications across the state.

Since April 2022, these member-written columns were published more than 550 times in newspapers across the state.

A great example from March 2024 is “What do to if you have been arrested in Wisconsin,” by Atty. Michael A. Forella III of Forella Law Offices, Kenosha.

“This is an excellent opportunity for participating members and will be a great service to Wisconsin residents looking for topical legal help,” said Katie Wilcox, State Bar customer and consumer services manager. “It promotes the LRIS program and helps educate the public to improve the quality, availability, and efficiency of legal services.”

For more information on writing for this column, contact Mike Wiltse, State Bar public relations manager, mwiltse@wisbar.org or (608) 354-6385.

How to Join LRIS: Join Now and Get Up To 3 Months Free

For more information and to join, visit the Lawyer Referral and Information Service webpage. There you’ll find membership rates and learn the rules of panel membership.

Registrations renew July 1. Join now through June 2024, and receive registration free for April, May, and June this year. New lawyers receive a further discount off the registration price.

*New Lawyer: lawyer admitted to practice between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2023.