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Hire a NY Attorney

Lawyer Referral and Information Service (lris)
1(800) 342-3661
Online requests can be made through: www.Findalawyernys.org

Need an attorney in NYC? Call 718- 624-0843/or 212-626-7373 (Para español llame 212-626-7374)

Make easy online referral requests here!

Our service only covers: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.  

We do not serve: Albany, Bronx, Brooklyn, Broome, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Nassau, New York, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester  (Click here for a listing of these local referral programs)  

WHO WE ARE AND HOW THE SERVICE WORKS


When you call LRIS, you will be asked what county you are calling from, and where in New York you would like to consult with an attorney. The LRIS staff will ask you to describe your problem. Any information you provide will be held in the strictest confidence. The LRIS counselors are not lawyers and therefore cannot give you legal advice, but will help you find the right resource for your situation. 

Need a lawyer in a different part of the country?  Find the Lawyer Referral program in that geographic area through the ABA national directory.  

WHAT IS THE COST?

If you are referred to an attorney through the lawyer referral service the attorney will provide you with a half-hour consultation for $35. (Free consultations are given for personal injury, social security, medical malpractice, veteran's and military law, unemployment or workers' compensation.) During your visit with the attorney, you and the attorney will discuss your matter and decide what further action to take, if any. There is no obligation for you to hire the attorney, nor is there any obligation on the part of the attorney to take your case. If the attorney agrees to represent you, the attorney will charge you at his or her regular rates.  

If you can't afford to pay a lawyer, there may be a legal services association that can help. Visit lawhelpNY.org for further information. 

Watch the short video here.

Our service does not list Pro Bono (free) attorneys.

If you can't afford to pay a lawyer, there may be a legal services association that can help. Visit lawhelpNY.org for further information.

Do-It-Yourself court forms can be found at www.nycourts.gov/courthelp

Foreclosure Guide

LRIS launches new online marketplace!

2018 Lawyer Referral Attorney Application

More info on the Relaunched Lawyer Referral Service: We Bring you Clients!

LRIS Rules (Amended January 2013)

Overview of Program*

The LRIS has been serving the public for over 35 years and is designed to fill in the gaps where a local bar is not coordinating a referral panel. Currently our service covers 46 out of the 62 counties in NYS. Eligible attorneys must have a physical office in one of our service counties*. (Attorneys practicing outside of our coverage area are encouraged to join their local bar’s referral panel. If our service gets a referral request outside our coverage area we refer the caller to the appropriate local bar. 

Lawyers who are members of the LRIS pay an annual fee of $100 ($250 for non-NYSBA members). Proof of malpractice insurance in the minimum amount of $100,000 is required of all participants.  If you are retained by a referred client, you agree to pay the LRIS 10% of the entire fee for any case of $500 or more. 

Contact Eva Valentin-Espinal ([email protected]) Manager of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service for more information. 

How we screen calls and refer clients

The LRIS staff receives more than 50 calls per day from members of the public seeking legal assistance. These calls are screened by our staff to elicit pertinent information regarding the nature of their legal problem. Callers that would be more appropriately helped by other organizations, such as other bar referral services, legal aid societies, or governmental agencies are given contact information for these offices.  

Callers needing the advice of an attorney, and who can afford to pay a private attorney, are referred to LRIS panel members on a rotating basis. They are told to expect a ½ hour in-office $35 consultation fee. After the initial consultation the attorney sets their own fees.


Questions? Call 1 (800) 342-3661 or e-mail  [email protected]

*Participating attorneys must have an office in/or adjacent towns of the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates.  

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