The Attorney Referral Service Needs More Panel Attorneys, More Referrals
By James E. McFetridge, Chair, Attorney Referral Service

If someone gave you the opportunity to gain valuable legal experience, represent a diverse pool of clients in a variety of practice areas, provide a terrific public service and get paid for your work, would you do it? Of course you would! The Attorney Referral Service ("ARS") for the Sacramento County Bar Association offers that opportunity to its panel attorneys.

At the present time the ARS has more clients seeking referrals than it has attorneys. The ARS is in need of qualified attorneys who can serve on its panel and provide legal services in a wide variety of areas for a reasonable fee. If you would be interested, please consider joining the ARS panel and avail yourself of this valuable opportunity to serve the community. Even if you are not able to participate in the ARS now as panel attorney, please encourage other attorneys you know in Sacramento who might be able to do so.

How the ARS Works
The SCBA established the ARS to assist the public in finding reputable attorneys to handle legal matters. The ARS is certified by the State Bar of California and the American Bar Association as a nonprofit public service. The ARS operates from the SCBA office and receives calls and e-mails from persons who need to talk to an attorney. Those seeking legal assistance are then referred to an ARS panel member and must pay a $30 referral fee, which is remitted to the ARS to defray operation costs. If the panel member accepts the referral as a client, a percentage of the legal fees charged and collected by the member is paid to the ARS. Referrals are made to members of the panel on a rotational basis.

Benefits to Panel Members
The ARS offers a unique opportunity to attorneys to gain valuable experience and to serve the SCBA as well as the general public. Those who are active members of the SCBA do not have to pay an annual surcharge of $185 to the ARS. There are 44 practice areas for panel members, and they can choose more than one area. Presently, the ARS panel is in need of attorneys practicing in the areas of Elder Law and Landlord/Tenant Law.

In addition, the ARS plans to sponsor a series of legal presentations to community groups in the Sacramento area. Panel members who participate in those seminars have a unique opportunity to have the SCBA showcase their skills and to demonstrate their abilities to potential clients. The ARS is scheduled to present a legal seminar at the Ethel McLeod Hart Senior Center in mid-town Sacramento on March 23 and more seminars are in the planning stages. Our expectation is that improving community awareness of the ARS will increase the amount of referrals.

Benefits to the SCBA
The benefits to the SCBA are twofold. First, the SCBA fulfills an urgent need by providing attorneys to the general public. Second, the SCBA generates income from fees generated by panel members who consult with and represent members of the public who are referred to them through the ARS. The SCBA is, of course, a nonprofit organization, but it relies heavily on membership fees for its revenue. The ARS can provide valuable income to the SCBA, which, in turn, allows the SCBA to conduct more services for its members.

Referring Clients to the ARS
Many of us already know attorneys who practice in certain areas, and we usually do not hesitate to refer family, friends and acquaintances to those whose skills we know and trust. However, there may be a legal need that someone brings to your attention and you may not know a lawyer to whom you can refer the matter. Why not refer those inquiries to the ARS? You can trust that the person who asks you about a legal matter will be referred to a qualified and reputable attorney who carries legal malpractice insurance. Again, those referrals will help the ARS and the SCBA.

If you are interested in joining the panel or seek more information, call SCBA Executive Director Carol Prosser at (916) 448-1087, ext. 204, or me at (916) 322-5481.