Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS)

A Reliable Resource for the Legal Community

The Los Angeles County Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS), State Bar Certification #0042, can be a useful resource for you even though you may not wish to become a member. Occasionally, you or your law firm may not be able to take an otherwise viable case -- there may be a conflict of interest, the matter may be too small to warrant your firm's involvement, or the matter may be outside the scope of your practice. You can refer these cases to the LRIS with confidence.

• Benefits the Legal Community and the Public: LRIS was established in 1937 to facilitate public access to legal service, and provide a reliable source of screened clients to its attorney panel members. As part of the Los Angles County Bar Association, the LRIS serves a large and diverse public throughout a broad geographic region.
• Offers Free Legal Consultations to Attorneys: Attorneys may call the LRIS for a referral to an expert in any legal field for a half-hour consultation at no charge. You are entitled to repeat this process up to three times per matter.
• Diversity of Legal Expertise: Approximately 500 attorney panel members of the LRIS represent businesses as well as consumers in 23 legal fields with over 160 areas of law.
• High Standard of Legal Service: The LRIS is committed to ensuring that its panel members provide a high standard of legal service. Attorney applicants must meet rigorous qualification standards in their specialty areas of practice. In addition, the LRIS conducts follow-up surveys to monitor client satisfaction.
• Pre-Screened Referrals: The LRIS is dedicated to matching the legal needs of its callers with its qualified attorney panel members. In 1998, the LRIS responded to over 75,000 callers who were referred to lawyers where appropriate, and the rest, not requiring legal representation, were directed to other resources.
• Responsible and Professional: When you refer a matter to the LRIS, you are assured it will be addressed according to stringent professional standards, while benefitting the public and the Los Angeles County Bar Association and enhancing the image of the legal profession.

To refer clients with viable matters to LRIS, the client may call the referral line direct at (213) 243-1525 or go to the web at www.smartlaw.org. If you wish to call LRIS yourself or on behalf of your client, call (213) 896-6440.

As a practicing attorney you may be interested in becoming a LRIS panel member. If you would like to find out more about joining, see the online request for information.