Lawyer Referral Service FAQs

Q. What is the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS)?

A. The LRS is a program of the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation which provides the name of an attorney in a particular area of law based on geographic location to a member of the public. LRS provides nearly 50,000 referrals annually to callers with various legal matters. LRS is not a reduced fee or pro bono (free) service.

Q. How does LRS work?

A. The LRS hours of operation are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. When a caller contacts the LRS toll-free number, an LRS specialist will ask the caller a series of questions. The specialists are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice. The caller will be given the name and telephone number of an attorney who handles cases in the area of law that addresses the problem. The attorney will receive a confirmation of the referral. If the attorney is not able to assist the referred caller with the legal problem, the caller may contact LRS again for another referral. Callers will receive one referral per legal matter per call.

Q. Is there a fee to contact the LRS?

A. No. There is no charge for receiving a referral from our service. If calling from out of state, there is a toll charge for the long distance phone call. People calling from within North Carolina may call toll free (800) 662-7660 or from within the area local to Raleigh (919) 677-8574.

Q. Will the attorney charge a fee?

A. Yes. In most cases a $50.00 (effective with referrals made beginning January 2010) fee will be charged, which entitles the caller to a 30 minute consultation with the attorney. Some attorneys do not charge for brief consultations. Some attorneys do. Callers should clarify the consultation fee in advance with the attorney.

Q. How are attorneys selected to be on the panel?

A. Panel membership is open to any North Carolina licensed attorney who is a member in good standing of the North Carolina Bar Association, member in good standing with the North Carolina State Bar, who provides proof of liability insurance coverage and who maintains an office in the county in which he registers to receive referrals.

Q. Do you have a list of pro bono attorneys?

A. No. The LRS does NOT provide referrals to pro bono attorneys. All panel members on our service expect to be paid for their services in most instances, except where a contingency fee structure has been established. For a referral to a pro bono program, please contact the Pro Bono Project of the North Carolina Bar Association at (800) 662-7407.

Q. Do you have a list of attorneys who will work out a payment plan?

A. No. The Lawyer Referral Service does NOT maintain any information on payment arrangements of any of its attorneys. Callers should ask the attorney about this in advance of the brief consultation.

Q. Does the LRS rate its attorneys?

A. No. All of our panel members are licensed in North Carolina, maintain liability insurance and are in good standing with both the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina State Bar.

Q. Is there a printed application that can be completed, instead of the online application?

A. Yes. You may click here to download a printed Lawyer Referral Service application.

Contact Information:

Mary Horowitz
Director of Public Service & Pro Bono Activites at Lawyer Referral Service (LRS)
919-677-8574 (local Raleigh area)
1-800-662-7660 (outside NC)
LRefer@ncbar.org