“I just want to talk with an attorney” – that is what I often hear when I receive a call from someone referred by the Atlanta Bar’s Lawyer Referral Information System (“LRIS”). Oftentimes these callers cannot afford to pay a lawyer by the hour. They have called other law firms but cannot get beyond the screeners. They may not have a viable claim, or a claim worth pursuing, but no one has ever explained why. I listen while they discuss their problems and then offer my advice. 

If I decline to take their case, most of these callers appreciate my candor and willingness to explain the law and how an attorney evaluates a potential case. If I think a caller has a viable case that I am unwilling to take but another attorney may be interested in, then I refer them to someone else or suggest they request another referral from LRIS. If I do not believe an attorney will take their case on a contingency basis, then I may offer other suggestions, such as government agencies they can call or self-help remedies they can pursue.

These calls usually take less than 30 minutes but I have found them to be some of the most rewarding time I spend. Our legal system is complex and intimidating. Nonlawyers typically lack the expertise to navigate it without the help of an attorney. These callers want an attorney to listen to them and provide a reasoned explanation of their legal rights and obligations.

And on occasion a caller is the proverbial diamond in the rough. For example, Lucinda (not her real name) called me after being turned down by seven other law firms. Her husband was a truck driver who crested a hill and hit a stalled, unlit car left in the roadway. His tractor burst into flames within moments of the crash and he died at the scene.

Lucinda had hired an attorney within days of the crash, who then waited almost two years to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the tractor, and then did not serve the defendant for

127 days. Yikes! The defendant filed a motion to dismiss, a fact Lucinda learned only after she fired her lawyer for lack of communication about her case. After listening to her story and reviewing the pleadings, Cale Conley and I decided to take her case. Over the last five years we have provided Lucinda with the justice she deserved. Lucinda’s situation is an extreme example but the despair and frustration she felt is rather common.

The Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct (6.1) state that every lawyer should aspire to provide 50 hours of pro bono legal services each year. One way to fulfill this obligation is by talking with potential clients who cannot afford to pay for your advice. Attorneys on LRIS’s referral list agree to provide up to 30 minutes of advice for a nominal fee but many attorneys waive their fee for this initial consultation. By providing free advice to those in need, you will receive a benefit far more valuable − that warm feeling from helping others with no strings attached.