Lawyer Referral Service
Table of Contents
How Lawyer Referral Services Work For You
The Cost
Specialty Panels
Do you think you have a legal problem ... and don't know an attorney? Lawyer Referral Services have been established in Florida by local bar associations to refer you to an attorney. If there is not a local bar association lawyer referral service in your area as listed in this brochure, please call this toll-free number from anywhere in Florida:
1-800-342-8011
It will place you in direct contact with The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service maintained as a public service by The Florida Bar.
The Florida Bar wants to make legal services readily available to individuals and families who need a lawyer. Many people are not acquainted with a lawyer. Others hesitate to see a lawyer because they have never used a lawyer's services before. The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service and local bar association lawyer referral services are designed to make it easy for you to contact a lawyer.
HOW LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICES WORK FOR YOU
Local bar associations administer 11 referral services, operating in Florida's major cities. The Florida Bar handles all other referrals from areas without a local service.
If you need a lawyer, call the Lawyer Referral Service in your area (listed elsewhere in this pamphlet or in the Yellow Pages in the telephone directory under "Attorneys" or "Attorney Referral Services").
Your call will be answered by a lawyer referral staff member who will take your name, address and telephone number. You will be asked to state your problem briefly. Any information you give will be held in the strictest confidence.
Lawyer Referral Service staff will give you the name, address, and telephone number of an attorney in your geographic area who handles the type of case you describe.
After the first meeting between you and the lawyer, it is up to you to decide whether to authorize the lawyer to take action on your legal problem.
THE COST
Under The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service, lawyers charge clients $25 (local Bar-sponsored program charges range from $20 to $50) for the initial half-hour office consultation.
You will have up to one-half hour to discuss your problem with the attorney. You and the lawyer are under no obligation to go beyond the first consultation. The fee for any additional service should be arranged between you and the attorney during your initial meeting.
The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
SPECIALTY PANELS
The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service has also established Low Fee, Elderly, AIDS Law, and Disability Law Panels for clients in need.
If your personal circumstances qualify you for referral to the Elderly Referral Panel, the Low Fee Panel, the AIDS Law Panel or the Disability Law Panel, you will receive a free initial 30-minute office consultation.
If the legal problem is one that can be handled easily, fees for further legal work will be lower than the lawyer's regular rate. Fee-generating cases, such as personal injury or malpractice cases are not included in this reduced fee program and are handled at the attorney's regular rate. Participating attorneys are encouraged to use a payment plan or another method of assisting the client in paying legal fees.
Unlike regular lawyer referral service programs which operate in cities with local bar association lawyer referral service offices, the Disability Law Panel and AIDS Law Panel operate statewide.
For more information on these unique referral programs, call The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service at (800)342-8011.
Your local bar association may offer programs similar to these. Please contact the local bar association lawyer referral service in your community to learn of the specialty panels in your area and to determine if you qualify.
FLORIDA BAR-SPONSORED LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICES