The Lawyer Referral Service is a State Bar of Michigan program that helps potential clients find attorneys in the geographic and practice area they need, while helping attorneys find clients and meet an important public need.
Right now, that need is the greatest in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. In those areas, LRS is seeing the highest number of clients going unmatched with attorneys who can help them due to a shortage in panel members. (Note: LRS is always accepting attorneys from all regions and in all practice areas.)
Participation is easy. Panel members use an online system to track referrals, which are also emailed. After receiving the referral, the attorney provides a 25-minute consultation, after which the attorney and the caller can choose whether to continue to work together.
All calls are screened by Lawyer Referral Service personnel to ensure prospective clients are matched with attorneys who can assist them, and that the callers have the ability to pay attorney fees (callers who do not want to hire and pay an attorney are diverted to other resources).
To become a panel member:
• Go to michbar.org/lrs and click “Sign up here.”
• Complete a profile by identifying practice areas and judicial circuits.
• Check the online tracking system (or personal email) for referrals.
Participation is also affordable. The base registration fee for panel members is $150 annually and includes four practice areas and two judicial circuit designations. Additional practice areas and judicial circuits can be purchased for $25 each (or expanded to include all Michigan judicial circuits for $300). In addition to the annual fee, panel members remit 10% of attorney fees to the Lawyer Referral Service.
For additional information, contact Panel Coordinator Monique Smith at 517-346-6323 or msmith@michbar.org.
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