Lawyer Referral Service in Ventura County

The Ventura County Bar Association sponsors a Lawyer Referral and Information Service ("LRIS"). Since 1959, this community based non-profit service has been helping the public find an attorney throughout Ventura County, including Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, CA.

The Lawyer Referral and Information Service is certified by the State Bar of California. The LRIS is also recognized as meeting the standards set by the American Bar Association (ABA). According to its website, the LRIS receives more than 10,000 phone calls and refers more than 120 attorneys for over 3,000 cases each year.

When you contact the service, a trained staff person will provide the initial confidential intake to determine the legal issue and type of attorney needed for that case. The service requires payment upfront of a $35 administrative referral fee. The fee can be paid with a credit card or money order.

An attorney on the appropriate panel is then assigned on a rotating basis. After the referral, the person can contact the attorney for a free 30 minute consultation to discuss the case.

Contact Information

Subject Matter Panels in Ventura County's LRA

The specific terms and conditions of membership for each subject matter panel can be found in the Rules of Operation for the Ventura County Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service. 

The applying attorney must certify his/her eligibility for each given panel based on the specific requirements set forth in the individual Subject Matter Panel Applications. If an attorney does not meet the criteria, the attorney might still be placed on the General Panel.

At the discretion of the LRIS Committee, an attorney with sufficient experience might be placed on the Criminal Law Experienced Panel or the Family Law Experienced Panel.

For the Criminal Misdemeanor Panel, the attorney must show that within the past five (5) years, the attorney haws handled ten (10) criminal cases, at least two (2) of which have gone to jury. For the Criminal Felony Panel, the attorney must show having taken five (5) felony cases from start through
disposition in Superior Court.

For the Family Law Experience Panel, the attorney must show that within the past three (3) years, he or she has successfully handled to final judgement:

• at least five (5) dissolutions
• drafted property settlements in at least two (2)
• have successfully handled at least two (2) contested OSC proceedings
• four (4) of each of the following as a contested matter:
  • custody
  • pension or deferred compensation
  • uniform child custody
  • joinder custody
  • business evaluation
  • foreign decree
  • uniform support act

Find more information on the individual Subject Matter Panel Applications. Attorney must certify that they will abide by the Minimum Standards for a Lawyer Referral Service in California and the Rules of Operation and Policy Statements of the Ventura County Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

Finding an Attorney in Ventura County

If you need to find an attorney in Ventura County, CA, then consider using a Lawyer Referral Service. This community based service provides an alternative to searching the internet for an attorney or using an online attorney directory.

The LRS might be a particularly effective way to find a family law or criminal defense attorney in Ventura because of the requirements for the experienced panels.

At Lawyer Legion, we understand the importance of Lawyer Referral & Information Services (LRIS) in California.

This article was last updated on Friday, December 27, 2019.