The Oregon State Bar has established several programs to help the public find an attorney including a Lawyer Referral Service, Modest Means Program, Military Assistance Panel, and Problem Solvers. The Oregon State Bar's Lawyer Referral Service ("LRS") helps individuals and businesses find a qualified attorney.
When you call the LRS, a trained staff person will ask you a few questions to determine the type of attorney needed. The staff person then selects an attorney on a rotating basis among lawyers on the list divided up according to the areas of law and geographical area needed. The service can also help you find an attorney that is bilingual or speaks Spanish.
After you receive the referral, you are free to contact the attorney directory to schedule an initial consultation. The maximum fee for a 30 minute consultation with the attorney is $35.
During the consultation, you can discuss your legal problem with the attorney as well as the attorney fees required for any additional services needed.
The attorneys that participate on the LRS panels have been screened to make sure they do not have an current disciplinary proceeding pending, carry malpractice insurance, and agree to follow certain standards for customer service.
If you want to find an attorney in Portland or any other part of the State of Oregon, then consider the public service programs established by the State Bar of Oregon. These non-profit community based services provide an alternative to searching the internet for an attorney or using an online attorney directory.
To contact the Lawyer Referral Service in Oregon, call between the normal office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday. You can also visit the website for the State Bar of Oregon to find the Online Referral Request Form.
Each year, the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) in Oregon refers thousands of potential clients to the lawyers who participate in the program. The Lawyer Referral Service has been in operation since 1971.
The non-profit program provides referrals throughout the state in every major practice area. To ensure an equitable distribution of referrals among similarly situated panelists, referrals are made in rotation.
The attorneys who participate in the program provide LRS-referred clients with an initial half-hour consultation for no more than $35.
To be eligible to apply for participation in the Lawyer Referal Service (LRS) managed by the Oregon Bar, the lawyer must:
Attorneys who focus on certain practice areas of the law can apply to one or more Subject Matter Panels on the following topics:
For the attorney, the Annual registration fees are $50 for those admitted in Oregon for less than 3 years and $100 for those admitted in Oregon for 3 years or more.
In addition to annual registration fees, the attorney must pay a 12% remittance fee on each LRS-referred matter in which the panelist earns and collects attorneys’ fees. The $35 initial consultation fee, if charged, is not subject to any remittance.
The attorney must agree to use the Oregon State Bar Fee Arbitration Program for any fee disputes with LRS-referred clients.
The Territory and Territory Composition for the Lawyer Referral Service in Oregon is listed as follows:
