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Self-Referral of a Pro Bono Case

Do you have a current client that may be income-eligible for Legal Aid? Are you representing him or her pro bono? If so, it would benefit you to contact LASO to register your case.

Many attorneys regularly provide pro bono representation for those who cannot otherwise afford to retain an attorney. While most attorneys think of pro bono referrals as those which originate through Legal Aid, another lesser known type of pro bono referral originates from the pro bono attorney’s office. Self-referrals occur when an attorney agrees to provide representation to a low-income client who contacts the attorney directly.

A prospective client may come to your office who you determine is low-income and cannot afford your services. If you wish to represent the client pro bono, you can register the client with LASO. What if you initially represented a client on a “for fee” basis, but the client lost a source of income; can it count as a pro bono self-referral? The answer is “yes” — if the client qualifies financially, and you agree to complete the case on a pro bono basis. Of course, there is no prohibition in any pro bono case against collecting an attorney fees from the other side, as long as the money does not come from the client or from money that the client would have been entitled to receive.

Why should you self-refer pro bono cases? Self-referrals are a great way for attorneys to provide pro bono services. The attorney is able to choose which pro bono case to take and the client receives representation from an attorney of their choice without having to wait for the normal referral process. Benefits for self-referring pro bono cases are the same as any other Legal Aid referral; including, professional liability insurance coverage on pro bono cases, free Legal Aid CLEs, OBA discounts on CLEs, access to a free advocate website which offers forms, research, news, featured volunteers, etc., along with many other benefits.

Clearly, self-referring pro bono cases provides benefits to the pro bono attorney and client, but it also benefits LASO by allowing us to expand our services to eligible clients without requiring additional staff. Self-referrals are also very important to LASO in that a certain level of pro bono participation is a grant requirement from our largest funder.

How do you self-refer cases? It’s as easy as a phone call, fax or email. LASO staff can contact your client and complete an intake, or you can provide the information to LASO. LASO staff will send a referral agreement for your client to sign. You may get requests from LASO staff for case updates on a quarterly basis until the case is closed, unless LASO staff can determine the status of the case online. When the case is closed, LASO staff will need to know the case outcome and the number of pro bono hours. LASO will then send you a letter that you can present to the bar association for CLE discounts.

If you have an ongoing pro bono case or a prospective case that you would like to self-refer, or if you have questions, please feel free to contact the pro bono coordinator in your area.