Editorial |
Mike Abelow and Jackie Dixon
NBA’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service is Revamped In late 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, then NBA president Laura Baker appointed a task force to study what is known as the “Lawyer Referral Service” to determine if the program should continue and, if so, how it could be improved. The task force consisted of Laura Baker, Mike Abelow, Dan Berexa, Wendy Longmire, and Jackie Dixon, chair. The task force has completed its work and made recommendations to the NBA Board. The NBA’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) has been providing a service to the public and NBA members for more than 25 years. It follows the ABA model rules for the operation of public service lawyer referral programs. It also complies with Rule 44 of the Tennessee Supreme Court Rules, which addresses Regulation of Lawyer Intermediary Organizations. The LRIS has not been doing well in recent years. Participation by attorneys on the practice area panels has declined to the point that some panels had no members. The LRIS Task Force looked at the entire program with the goals of serving the public, serving NBA members, and
increasing income to the NBA. The task force started with the basic question of whether the lawyer referral service was a worthwhile program to continue. It was determined that the program should continue because it (1) provides the public with a trusted source to find an attorney for a small fee; (2) is a service to NBA members both by giving members a source for referrals to them as well as giving members a place to refer people when the member is unable to be of assistance; and, (3) has the potential to be a significant revenue source for the NBA. Although LRIS income has varied greatly over the years, depending on the amount of fee sharing received from panel attorneys, it has never been as significant as it is to some bar associations where lawyer referral income makes up close to one-third of the association’s income. The Task Force recommended the following changes: Outsource the call screening. This change has been made and was necessary to provide better service and to ensure that calls were not being missed. Since this change was (continued on page 26)
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 | NASHVILLE BAR JOURNAL
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