The Lawyer Referral Program of the St. Joseph County Bar Association, is an attorney referral program that places clients in need of services with an attorney suited to meet their legal needs. When you inquire about a referral you will need to explain the particular area of law, or the circumstances of the situation that prompts you to seek an attorney. The Executive Director of the St. Joseph County Bar Association or a member of the LRS staff will answer your questions and attempt to help and direct you to an attorney who can offer assistance.
The Lawyer Referral Program membership is made up of approximately 50 Bar Association members, who are practicing attorneys, and who request to participate in the program. The individual attorney answers a questionnaire as to his/her area of practice. Sample areas of practice include family law, bankruptcy, corporate, real estate, property law, personal injury, medical malpractice, probate, juvenile, criminal, workers' compensation, social security/disability, and others.
If you are in need of a lawyer referral, you should fill out the form at the bottom of this page, or contact the Executive Director at (574) 235-9657. The Executive Director or the LRS staff, will respond to your inquiry by providing you with the name of a local attorney that would be suited to your legal needs.
Lawyer Referral Pointers
If you have checked in to this website because you are in need of legal assistance, there are a few important things to remember when contacting the Lawyer Referral Service:
If you answered yes, you can bring a lawsuit in this jurisdiction and you are seeking legal assistance at the right place.
If you answered no, then:
If you answered no to both questions, then St. Joseph County is not the jurisdiction in which you should bring your lawsuit. In certain situations, matters arising in surrounding counties can be handled by St. Joseph County attorneys.
Below is a list of some common required listings:
In the informational numbers listed below, if a County to which inquiry is being made is represented by a Clerk's telephone number, you should call the County Clerk to ask if there is a Bar Association or Lawyer Referral Program in that particular county.
Pro-Bono Legal Services
To qualify for Pro-Bono Legal Services, you must fall within certain income guideline specifications. On certain occasions, one may qualify with income guidelines but not be able to be represented on account of a conflict of interest, or an overload of cases. The staff at the legal aid offices will let you know when you call if you qualify.
Other Frequently Requested Numbers:
The information given to you is offered as a community service to the public. While the information given to you is about legal issues and informational in nature, IT IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE! Moreover, due to the changing nature of law and the information, for which we rely on others, we make no warranty or guarantee about the accuracy of the content of this site or to the other sites to which we link. The content of the information that you receive at this web site is not warranted. Under no circumstances shall the St. Joseph County Bar Association be liable for any direct or indirect damage that may result in any way from your use of or inability to use this website, or your reliance on or use of information from this website, or for any service provided on or through this website.
When you contact a referred attorney to schedule a meeting, please be sure to inform the attorney that you were referred by the Lawyer Referral Program. The fee for the first 1/2 hour consultation is $10.00. After the first 1/2 hour, the attorney fees are a matter of discussion between you and your attorney, and specific to the nature of your legal matter, and the time and expertise required to handle your problem.
This information will be e-mailed to the LRS staff. A staff member will respond to your inquiry by providing you with name of a of local attorney that would be suited to your legal needs.
Please remember that neither the Executive Director nor any member of LRS staff are attorneys, but referral specialists. They cannot offer legal advice.
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