Want new clients and interesting cases?
The MBA's Lawyer Referral Service currently is renewing LRS members and taking new members for the next LRS year, which begins April 1. If you join after March 1 you will be eligible for referrals through March 31, 2005.
The Lawyer Referral Service is one of the largest referral services of its kind. With more than 25,000 referrals per year to our 1,500 current panel attorneys it is likely that participation will result in an increased client base.
"We are a statewide service," said Elizabeth O'Neil, the MBA's director of public service. "We receive calls from Pittsfield to Provincetown."
And because there are such a variety of calls from towns throughout the commonwealth, O'Neil said it's important to have LRS attorneys in a variety of practice areas from throughout the state.
"Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking we only make referrals from inside the 128 belt. We actually make referrals everywhere," O'Neil said. "But if we don't have attorneys (from certain areas of the state) participating, then we have to make referrals to other parts of the state."
For instance, LRS currently is looking for attorneys in all counties of the state that focus on the following practice areas: federal workers' compensation, Social Security disability benefits, landlord/tenant, unjust termination, consumer protection and unemployment compensation.
To join the LRS, you must be an MBA member, have minimum malpractice insurance of $250,000/$500,000, be in good standing with the BBO and agree to abide by the LRS Statement of Standards and Rules.
The LRS receives over 300 calls per day from the public. Approximately 40 percent of LRS callers are referred to LRS panel attorneys. The remaining callers are referred to one or more legal or social service agency on our comprehensive resource list. Referrals to our members are based on the legal need, geographic convenience and the caller's financial situation.