July 20, 2022 – Whether you want to grow your practice with new clients, add a new area of practice, or expand into another market, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) connects lawyers with prescreened clients willing and able to pay for your legal services.

LRIS is looking for lawyers of all levels of experience for its referral service. Memberships run annually from July 1 to June 30.

“LRIS is ideal for attorneys who lack the time to market their services or who are new to a region or an area of law,” says Laura Skilton Verhoff, chair of the LRIS committee.

Legal services can be inaccessible to people for a number of reasons. LRIS offers attorneys the ability to bridge service gaps in their communities.

“LRIS engages its members in needed public service while simultaneously giving them a way to increase their client base. LRIS therefore offers its members the ability to provide support to members of their communities,” says Skilton Verhoff.

How LRIS Works

Every year, LRIS legal assistants field more than 20,000 contacts from members of the public who are seeking legal information and referrals to attorneys.

When members of the public contact LRIS, experienced legal assistants conduct a careful screening before referring matters to member attorneys. In 2021, assistants received 24,858 contacts that resulted in 12,735 referrals.

When you become a LRIS panel member, you choose the areas of practice – up to 60 specific areas – and the geographic locations for client referrals, and choose whether to receive referrals only by phone, or by phone and online.

LRIS Online Portal

Panel members have access to LRIS Online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there is no additional charge for participation. The portal allows panel members to more efficiently track LRIS referrals and manage their memberships.

Accessible from anywhere via an internet connection, the portal allows you to:

• get referrals via email;

• receive automatic case tracking and status reporting;

• keep track of settlement fees and payments;

• submit quarterly reports digitally;

• edit your demographic profile and update your availability to take referrals; and

• renew your LRIS membership and pay online.

How to Join LRIS

For more information and to join, visit the LRIS webpage. There you’ll find membership rates and learn the rules of panel membership.

Registrations renew July 1. New lawyers receive a discount off the registration price.

*New Lawyer: lawyer admitted to practice between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022​​