Lawyer Referral Service

LRS is a community service that PAABA is able to offer thanks to the willing participation of local attorneys. We help our clients find qualified attorneys by means of an initial 1/2 hour consultation. The client can ask questions, clarify legal matters and in general better understand his or her legal needs; subsequently the client can decide to retain the attorney for services. As the bar association for the Palo Alto area, when members of the public call us seeking legal assistance, we arrange referral appointments with our LRS panel attorneys. Our records show that a certain number of the referrals become clients of the lawyer who first helped them.

All attorneys in the area have the right to be on one or more LRS panels of their choice. Qualified local attorneys can contribute to their community by joining the PAABA Lawyer Referral Service and taking referrals on a rotational basis and on a personal availability basis. The State Bar of California has established guidelines for LRS attorney qualifications.

The Lawyer Referral Service conducts regular surveys about client satisfaction. The responses are consistently positive. We know that we provide a valuable service and we are grateful to those attorneys that wish to take part in the process of assisting the community to deal with their legal needs.

In times of transition, let alone of crisis, it is not easy to know where to turn for legal information and to decide if an attorney is needed or how to select one. The Palo Alto Area Bar Association’s Legal Referral Service offers a solution. With a simple telephone call, it is possible to obtain an initial consultation and ask for advice. This is a private appointment with a lawyer, in his/her offices, for up to one half hour at a modest fee of $35.