The St. Joseph County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service has been a trusted source for lawyer referrals in our community for many years.
For a $25 administrative fee, our LRS connects you with attorneys who hold malpractice insurance and meet the State Bar certification standards.
Complete the form linked above, providing as much information as you can about yourself and the legal issue as possible to ensure that the LRS Specialist can make an appropriate referral. You must complete the payment form for the referral fee in order for your referral to be sent to the LRS Specialist. You will receive a confirmation email after you submit the form.
When you call or email, please provide the following information:
The LRS Specialist will direct you to a payment form, or can assist you by collecting your payment information over the phone.
Phone inquiries, voice mails, and emails will be responded to in the order they are received.
Our LRS Specialist will receive your referral request and will review it carefully. If your needs match with an attorney on our Lawyer Referral Service panel, we will contact the attorney with your information. If the attorney accepts the referral, you will receive an email with the attorney's contact information. It is your responsibility to contact the attorney to schedule an initial consultation. Your referral fee covers a 30 minute initial consultation with the attorney. During your consultation, you and the attorney will discuss any next steps and costs if you should decide to move forward with hiring them.
Attorneys in the service practice in almost all areas of law, including
If the attorney you are matched with is able to represent you, they will discuss their fee schedule with you. Most attorneys charge an hourly rate for their time. Some attorneys also charge a retainer fee at the time they are hired. Each situation is different, so these details will be worked out between you and the attorney.
People have trusted our LRS for many years. All LRS attorneys are pre-screened for their experience, knowledge, and professionalism. They are also required to carry malpractice insurance and to demonstrate that they remain in good standing with the Indiana Office of Admissions and Continuing Legal Education.
If the referral does not work out, the LRS Specialist can attempt a second referral (without an additional $25 fee). If we cannot find any attorney who meets your needs, we will attempt to direct you to other resources in the area.
The St. Joseph County Bar Association staff members are not attorneys and therefore cannot give legal advice.
If you are searching for legal forms for the State of Indiana, you can access them online at https://indianalegalhelp.org/
Please check our Legal Resources page for additional information.
No, you will not be guaranteed that a lawyer will take your case. The payment of the $25 administrative fee guarantees you an initial consultation with an experienced lawyer for up to 30 minutes. The lawyer will use this time to find out more about your legal issue to see if they can assist you. If you and the lawyer agree to work together, the lawyer will discuss their fees and will ask you to sign an agreement,
To use the St. Joseph County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, you must complete the payment form on our online portal. The $25 administrative fee is pre-authorized and held until we can determine if you will be matched with an attorney. If we are able to match you with an attorney (the attorney accepts your referral), the $25 fee will be released through the payment system to the St. Joseph County Bar Association. If we cannot match you with an attorney, the pre-authorization will be canceled and no fee will be paid to the Bar Association.
The $25 administrative fee entitles you to an initial consultation with an experienced lawyer for up to 30 minutes. The fee is paid to the St. Joseph County Bar Association to offset the costs to manage the Lawyer Referral Service.
The administrative fee will be pre-authorized at the time you submit your request for a referral. If we are able to match you with an attorney (the attorney accepts your referral), the $25 fee will be released through the payment system to the St. Joseph County Bar Association. If we cannot match you with an attorney, the pre-authorization will be canceled and no fee will be paid to the Bar Association.
Indiana Legal Services and the Volunteer Lawyer Network are two no-cost legal service resources in St. Joseph County. Please check our Legal Resources page for more information.