Contra Costa County Bar Association

Please complete the 2008 Lawyer Referral and Information Service Application and sign and date the Membership Agreement. If you have already completed an "Experience Panel" application for Criminal Law, Family Law, FLARe, Juvenile Law, Limited Scope Representation, Moderate Means, Personal Injury, Probate, Estate Planning & Trust Law, you do not need to complete these applications again. Fill out the "2008 Experience Panel Qualification Certification" by checking the appropriate box/boxes on the certificate; sign and date it; and return the certificate and the updated form with the 2008 LRIS application. If you need to update your experience panel information and do not wish to fill out a new form, you may update a copy of the original experience panel application/s you sent our office and send that in with the other application forms. If you have any questions, contact the CCCBA at (925)686-6900x2 and ask for the LRIS Coordinator. Thank you.

The Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is a public service of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, a non-profit organization. Our LRIS is certified by the State Bar of California (Certification #0018), and meets American Bar Association Standards.

Our staff handles thousands of calls each year from members of the public who contact us with legal-related problems. The clients are carefully screened to determine whether a consultation with an attorney or a referral to another agency is the most appropriate course of action. When it is clear that the caller would benefit from consulting with an attorney, a 30-minute consultation is scheduled with an LRS panelist who has met specific experience requirements, maintains malpractice insurance coverage, and who practices in the geographic and subject matter areas that match the client's needs. Nearly 4,000 client consultations are scheduled with members of our Lawyer Referral Service each year.

We do the marketing for you: We get thousands of calls each year from people who are looking for legal representation. Rather than place expensive ads in the yellow pages, magazines, legal directories or other publications hoping that prospective clients might need your services someday, your nominal annual LRS registration fee gives you access to the people who really need your help today. You are not gambling that they might need your services in the future; they need it now.

LRIS referrals are paying clients: The days when mainly low-income clients and lousy cases showed up to LRIS appointments are history. Since 2000, annual fees collected from clients referred by our LRS, as reported by our panel members, have been in excess of $1 million. Although not every case leads to a paying client, there can be rewards realized even from prospective clients who only come in for a consultation. An initial consultation can lead to a long and profitable attorney-client relationship, as well as future referrals to colleagues, friends and family.

If you have any questions, please call Pauline at (925) 370-2542. Thank you.

Moderate Means Program

As an adjunct to our LRIS, the CCCBA sponsors a program that offers reduced fee representation in Family Law and Housing matters. Clients are carefully screened to determine whether or not they financially qualify for this program. It is designed to fill the gap between those who qualify for pro-bono legal services and those who can afford an attorney's regular fee. Although the initial consultation is free, participating attorneys may require a retainer and charge a moderate hourly fee within program guidelines.

This program is the newest adjunct to the LRIS. Currently set-up for family law matters only it exists in much the same manner as any other panel, although callers are thoroughly screened by the LRS interviewer and need to “pass” a comprehensive eligibility checklist. Unlike other referrals obtained via the LRIS, the half-hour consultation may be primarily reserved for an accurate description of limited representation services and additional screening of client eligibility by the attorney, rather than direct advice and assistance.




	LRIS MEMBERSHIP Please complete the 2008 Lawyer Referral and Information Service Application and sign and date the Membership Agreement. If you have already completed an "Experience Panel" application for Criminal Law, Family Law, FLARe, Juvenile Law, Limited Scope Representation, Moderate Means, Personal Injury, Probate, Estate Planning & Trust Law, you do not need to complete these applications again. Fill out the "2008 Experience Panel Qualification Certification" by checking the appropriate box/boxes on the certificate; sign and date it; and return the certificate and the updated form with the 2008 LRIS application. If you need to update your experience panel information and do not wish to fill out a new form, you may update a copy of the original experience panel application/s you sent our office and send that in with the other application forms. If you have any questions, contact the CCCBA at (925)686-6900x2 and ask for the LRIS Coordinator. Thank you. 2008 Lawyer Referral and Information Service Application 2008 Lawyer Referral and Information Service Membership Agreement 2008 LRIS Rules 2008 LRIS Juvenile Law Experience Panel Application 2008 LRIS Family Law Experience Panel Application 2008 LRIS Personal Injury Law Experience Panel Application 2008 LRIS Probate, Estate Planning & Trust Law Experience Panel Application 2008 LRIS Criminal Law Experience Panel Application 2008 LRIS Limited Representation Family Law Experience Panel Application 2008 Moderate Means Panel Application 2008 FLARe Panel Application About the Lawyer Referral and Information Service The Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is a public service of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, a non-profit organization. Our LRIS is certified by the State Bar of California (Certification #0018), and meets American Bar Association Standards. Our staff handles thousands of calls each year from members of the public who contact us with legal-related problems. The clients are carefully screened to determine whether a consultation with an attorney or a referral to another agency is the most appropriate course of action. When it is clear that the caller would benefit from consulting with an attorney, a 30-minute consultation is scheduled with an LRS panelist who has met specific experience requirements, maintains malpractice insurance coverage, and who practices in the geographic and subject matter areas that match the client's needs. Nearly 4,000 client consultations are scheduled with members of our Lawyer Referral Service each year. Why Should You Join the Lawyer Referral and Information Service? We do the marketing for you: We get thousands of calls each year from people who are looking for legal representation. Rather than place expensive ads in the yellow pages, magazines, legal directories or other publications hoping that prospective clients might need your services someday, your nominal annual LRS registration fee gives you access to the people who really need your help today. You are not gambling that they might need your services in the future; they need it now. LRIS referrals are paying clients: The days when mainly low-income clients and lousy cases showed up to LRIS appointments are history. Since 2000, annual fees collected from clients referred by our LRS, as reported by our panel members, have been in excess of $1 million. Although not every case leads to a paying client, there can be rewards realized even from prospective clients who only come in for a consultation. An initial consultation can lead to a long and profitable attorney-client relationship, as well as future referrals to colleagues, friends and family. If you have any questions, please call Pauline at (925) 370-2542. Thank you. Moderate Means Program As an adjunct to our LRIS, the CCCBA sponsors a program that offers reduced fee representation in Family Law and Housing matters. Clients are carefully screened to determine whether or not they financially qualify for this program. It is designed to fill the gap between those who qualify for pro-bono legal services and those who can afford an attorney's regular fee. Although the initial consultation is free, participating attorneys may require a retainer and charge a moderate hourly fee within program guidelines. Family Law Alternative Resolution Program (FLARe) Also an adjunct to our LRIS, the FLARe program provides a mediation alternative for domestic partners who agree to attempt resolution of their dispute using this process. A 90-minute session at a much-reduced rate is offered to give clients the opportunity to either resolve a limited issue, or to determine whether or not mediation would be useful in attempting to resolve their entire marital dissolution, including child custody, etc. The FLARe program is never offered where domestic violence is a factor. Limited Representation Panel (Unbundled) This program is the newest adjunct to the LRIS. Currently set-up for family law matters only it exists in much the same manner as any other panel, although callers are thoroughly screened by the LRS interviewer and need to “pass” a comprehensive eligibility checklist. Unlike other referrals obtained via the LRIS, the half-hour consultation may be primarily reserved for an accurate description of limited representation services and additional screening of client eligibility by the attorney, rather than direct advice and assistance.