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COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT Houston Lawyer Referral Service 50 Years of Service to the Community and the Legal Profession By Janet Diaz When Houston Bar Association President Lewis W. Cutrer (1955) tackled the challenges of urban expansion in Houston, he enthusiastically endorsed the American Bar Association’s public service mandate. Taking this challenge to heart, he recruited HBA members Denman Moody and William N. Bonner to create an organization with a mission to provide the public with access to the legal profession and a purpose to provide referrals to competent legal representation. This vision has evolved into the Houston Lawyer Referral Service (HLRS). This year, HLRS celebrates 50 years of service to the community and the legal profession. As a project of the HBA, lawyer referral was initially a component of the Houston Defender Program (providing indigent defense) and the Legal Aid Society (providing pro bono representation), and operated within an umbrella program called the Houston Legal Foundation (HLF). These programs met their initial objectives and contributed to the HBA’s progressive mission to serve the public. In 1966, the HBA received the American Bar Association’s highest honor for its dedication to providing services to the public. Then HBA President Thomas M. Phillips said that the hard work and collective efforts of the HLF “really elevated the legal profession in the eyes of the community.” To make the programs relevant to the community and to meet the needs of Houstonians, the HBA and HLF added a feature of allowing Houstonians to call and make an appointment for $1.00 to discuss their problem with a lawyer. Attorneys offered the first hour consultation for $10.00. Thus, Houstonians could receive a referral to an attorney who was willing to participate in the program, and such attorney’s fees were initially reduced. At the beginning of President Ralph S. Carrigan’s term (1974-1975), the HBA recognized that the activities of the HBA, including those of the HLF, were successful, but narrow in focus. The HBA recognized that it needed to expand its community service operation. Over the course of the next several years, under the leadership of George E. Pletcher and John L. McConn, the HBA examined the activities of pro bono and reduced fee legal services and lawyer referral services, and began to restructure programs. The Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Inc. was established as its own 501(c)(6) non-profit organization to focus entirely on providing referrals to attorneys in Houston. The HLRS’ Board of Trustees administers and manages these services. Today, the HLRS continues to provide access to competent legal representation to individuals who have the resources to pay legal fees, but do not know where to find an attorney to meet specific legal needs. During the early 1980’s, local bar associations began to consider the validity of operating their own lawyer referral program. The HLRS sought to build consensus among these bar associations and set out to expand the Board of Trustees to include appointees from each of these bar associations. Today, the HLRS enjoys sponsorship of the Houston Bar Association, the Asian-American Bar Association, Association of Women Attorneys, Hispanic Bar Association, Houston Lawyers Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Young Lawyers Association, Mexican-American Bar Association of Houston, North Harris County Bar Association, and Pasadena Bar Association. To continue to effectively serve the community, HLRS leaders believe that the organization must be committed to serving the public through established goals, firm standards and service-oriented, innovative ideals. Twenty-two attorneys and one lay member make up the HLRS Board of Trustees and are appointed by the 10 local bar association sponsors. The 2007-08 president is David A. Chaumette, who is dedicated to improving standards and community awareness. The HLRS places an emphasis on providing exemplary customer service by maintaining quality standards. Each of the 400 attorneys on the HLRS panel is screened and must meet specific criteria prior to participation. In addition, most areas of law require the attorney to document experience prior to receiving referrals. Each attorney must be in good standing with the State of Bar of Texas and carry professional liability insurance. Most areas of law require the attorney to prove experience prior to receiving referrals. HLRS has very detailed Rules of Membership that attorneys must abide by to maintain their membership in the organization. HLRS is one of only a few resources where an individual can obtain background information about an attorney. HLRS has information such as when the attorney became licensed, what law school the attorney attended, and how much time they devote to a particular area of law. Additionally, HLRS is one of only four lawyer referral programs in Texas that meets American Bar Association Model Rules for Lawyer Referral. HLRS was the proud recipient of the 2006 ABA Cindy A. Raisch Award that recognizes an exemplary lawyer referral program. Over the years, HLRS has evolved to serve the diverse needs of Houston’s community. HLRS has English and Spanish-speaking staff, attorneys, brochures, commercials and advertisements. Its attorney panel members speak over 20 languages. The referral service does not charge a fee to callers for a referral; however if a consultation with an attorney takes place, the first 30 minutes is offered for $20.00, after which standard attorney’s fees apply. The HLRS staff is trained to help people identify their legal needs and can then refer them to an attorney according to area specialization and geographic location. HLRS also offers a low-fee panel for income eligible citizens and provides a 24-hour on-call attorney. Individuals can use the HLRS, at no charge, by calling (713) 237-9429 or 1-800-289-4577. The HLRS’ Website offers 24-hour access to attorney referrals at www.hlrs.org. As the HLRS celebrates 50 years of service to the community and the legal profession, it strives to assist those in need of access to the legal profession. Most of the 125,000 people annually who contact the organization would agree that the HLRS provides a service they are unable to obtain elsewhere. Janet Diaz is the executive director of the Houston Lawyer Referral Service. The author would like to thank Tri Nguyen, Laura Gibson and Diana Pérez for their input on this article. |
