MBA / FEATURE
Lawyer Referral Service Continues to Deliver Value for Businesses and Consumers Seeking Legal Representation
F
or many residents in Montgomery County, choosing the right lawyer for their personal or business matters among the barrage of for-profit 800 numbers, websites, directories and advertising outlets can be a daunting task. Thanks to our members, several thousand individuals in our community each year can count on their bar association for a qualified referral to an attorney who can help. And the truth is in the numbers. Over the past year, our courts, government agencies, chambers of commerce and neighboring bar associations alone have referred over a thousand residents seeking legal counsel to our Lawyer Referral Service. Over 1,000 more have found their ways to us via online directories, the yellow pages, search engines and various websites. Of course, there are those “in the know” whose families have turned to us for generations and find comfort knowing that participating attorneys in our program must qualify first as regular members in good standing with one of our country’s oldest and most respected bar associations. This may not come as news to many Sidebar readers, but consider what it means to be a regular member of the MBA and all that’s involved in getting there. Now consider the
fact that for a lawyer to be eligible to participate in our Lawyer Referral Service, they must first meet the relatively stringent criteria of full MBA membership. While it’s voluntary to participate, attorney enrollment is an exclusive privilege of regular membership and consistently ranks among the top member benefits. Annual enrollment takes place in July
and participation is exclusively open to attorneys who are fully licensed and actively engaged in the practice of law in Montgomery County, PA. At this time, eligible attorneys may select one or more panels they wish to be considered for based upon geographic considerations and demands. Participants who qualify may also elect to participate in the
SIDEBAR
36
SUMMER 2013
MBA’s Legal Access program at this time – a discount fee program serving lower income families and individuals that don’t qualify for Legal Aid. Participants in both programs must be fully insured, in good standing with the Bar and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and agree to act in compliance with the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. With this in mind, if you or a loved one needed legal representation outside your comfort zone, who would you turn to these days for help? Your Montgomery Bar Association has been serving the needs of our profession and community since 1885, and while our service does not directly employ attorneys or provide free legal advice, we have dedicated staff here to assist you and familiarize you with the program during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. Of course, we also have a fairly sophisticated online system that’s proven to be quite popular among leading search engines and it’s available here at MontgomeryBar.org (free of charge 24/7/365) to help consumers find the right attorney to help with their legal matters. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Lawyer Referral Service, or give Sherry Sutton a call at 610.279.9660, Ext 200.