Will County Bar Association Attorney Referral Program

1. All persons licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois, in good standing, and who are also members of the WCBA (Will County Bar Association) in good standing, may qualify as a participant member and shall automatically constitute the voting membership of the LRS service.

2. You may chose up to 4 branches of legal work in which you wish to receive referrals. If, after submitting your application, you do not desire to handle a certain type of legal work, you must notify WCBA immediately so that it can be deleted from your profile. (Categories are listed on a separate page.)

3. A person who contacts LRS for referral to a lawyer is given the name of all lawyers within that category.

4. A member, in filing this application agrees to:

5. Grant an initial consultation for a fee not in excess of $15 for a half-hour office conference with the referred attorney. This also applies to a phone consultation. This fee is to be sent to WCBA by the referred attorney. After this initial consultation the normal attorney-client relationship exists. The client has been previously informed of this $15 half-hour consultation fee.

6. Meet with each person referred to him, if that person requests a consultation. Should there be professional reasons why a lawyer cannot see a referred client; the client should be referred back to LRS with an explanation of the professional reasons.

7. Carry, continue to carry, professional liability insurance and to notify the WCBA immediately if for any reason the insurance coverage terminates. You must also provide the WCBA proof of insurance. If you do not provide to us your professional liability insurance information, we can terminate you from the program without reimbursement of your membership fee.

8. Authorize the Administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) to disclose to the Board of the WCBA all information contained in the Commission’s file concerning participant-member’s present status. I as a participant-member expressly waive whatever right I may have respecting confidentiality required by Supreme Court Rule 766.

9. Accept a status of suspension from receiving referrals during such time as a complaint may be pending as voted on by the inquiry Board of the ARDC and until such time as the complaint is either dismissed or the participant-member is permitted to resume practice by the Illinois Supreme Court.

10. Abide by all the rules of the Service and in no event hold, or claim to hold, the Association or any of its officers, members, or employees liable in connection with the operation of, or use of the information contained in the application in connection with the activities of the Service.

II. MEMBERSHIP FEE Each participant-member of the Service will pay to WCBA a non-refundable annual l fee of $50 to defray the cost of the LRS service. The participant-member will make an additional contribution equal to 10% of the total fee of $250 or more received from matters referred by the Service. For example, if your total fee equals $650, the administrative remittance would be $65. Such fees will be used to defray the costs of operation of the Service. The participant-member will determine the total fee in accordance with Rule 1.5 of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.

III. WITHDRAWAL FROM MEMBERSHIP A participant-member may at any time withdraw his/her name from participation in the Service upon five (5) days written notice to the WCBA.

IV. These rules shall be amended only with the approval of the Will County Bar Association Board of Directors.