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Reports and Fees

Making the Referral

Client Contacts LRIS

Clients receive referrals from LRIS by calling the intake line at (865)522-7501 or by submitting a request at www.knoxbar.org. Our staff interviews each caller and decides whether a referral is appropriate. Our staff are not attorneys and cannot judge the merits of a case. As long as the circumstances have a rational appearance of a potential fee-generating case, we make the referral. We also refer callers to many community resources including agencies such as Legal Aid of East Tennessee and www.justiceforallTN.org

LRIS is not pro bono; callers not suited for referral are referred to agencies as appropriate.

Most clients request, and prefer, the free telephone consultation. However, some may prefer to be seen in the office.

• Phone consultations: The client is informed that phone consultations will last approximately 10-15 minutes. They are advised to be ready with any questions when they phone your office. If you are unavailable at the time of the client’s call and they leave a message, we ask that you return the call within 48 hours. LRIS generally provides one referral for phone consultations with the client instructed to contact LRIS should he or she need a second referral.

• In-Office consultations: Clients are instructed to ask for an office appointment atthe time of their call.

Clients will be asked to bring any important documents and to be prepared with questions they wish to cover. The clients are advised that the consultation will last a maximum of 30 minutes. Once this consultation is completed, the client may contact LRIS for an additional referral if desired.

As part of our public service, please remember that we do not charge the client a fee for the referral or for the consultation time with our members. You will, however, charge your standard fees for any services past the initial consultation.

• You will receive a referral form from the LRIS office by email each time a referral is made to you.

You will have 10 days from the date of the referral to return the form to the LRIS office with a status update for the consultation held with the client, or to update the consultation status online.

• No one other than the LRIS panel member, or anotherLRIS panel member within the firm, can hold a consultation with the client. Only the panel member can sign reports which are submitted to

LRIS. Staff are not permitted to sign documents on behalf of the panel member.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ASSIST THE CLIENT

If the client seems to have a meritorious case, but you cannot assist that client because of time pressures, conflict or other reasons, please refer the caller back to LRIS for another referral.

However, if the client does not have a meritorious case, please inform the client of the reasons you do not think the case has legal merit. It is also helpful to inform LRIS staff of these reasons to assist our future screening. Please avoid simply telling the client that you are “too busy to accept cases” or that this is “not the type of case I accept,” as this is detrimental to the credibility of both your practice and ourservice.

If the lawyer to whom the client has been referred is unavailable for consultation, another LRIS panel member within the firm may consult; otherwise, the caller should be referred back to LRIS for additional help.

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