MEMBERSHIP
Shining a Light on LRIS
How Much Do You Know About Atlanta Bar ' s Lawyer Referral Information & Service ?
JOANNA SMITH Georgia Family Law Project , LLC joanna @ georgiaflp . com
I am honored to be the Atlanta Bar Association ’ s 2020-2021 Chair of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service Board of Directors . My LRIS Board participation is a continuation of my commitment to expanding access to justice and serving my community . In this strange and uncertain time , the Atlanta Bar Association ’ s Lawyer Referral and Information Service ( LRIS ) has the opportunity to provide resources and opportunities not just to the attorneys who are part of and get business from the various LRIS panels , but the broader community who are seeking wise counsel and access to justice .
After law school , I joined the Lawyers for Equal Justice incubator program to start my own sliding-scale family law firm , the Georgia Family Law Project . My firm represents the 80 percent of Georgians who do not qualify for free legal services , but who cannot afford traditional representation . I knew there was a ton of need for my services , but I didn ’ t have a big budget for marketing or for staff to screen incoming cases .
Luckily for me , I learned about the Atlanta Bar LRIS . The Atlanta Bar markets the LRIS referral line all over the Metro Atlanta area and the courts , government agencies , community organizations and attorneys refer the public to LRIS . That was a built-in source of new clients for me without having to dip into my limited marketing funds . Additionally , LRIS referral representatives screen calls before referring them to attorneys who are part of the LRIS network . By the time the client is calling an attorney , the nature of the case and the relevant areas of law are clearly established , and the client is someone from that attorney ’ s location . That saved me precious time in having to screen cases . My membership fee allowed me to
30 August / September 2020