How to Find a Lawyer
Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you need a lawyer’s help. If you can pay for a lawyer, here are some ways to find one:
- Use a lawyer you have used before
- Ask a friend or family member
- Check the telephone book
- Use a church or social service referral
- Use a lawyer referral service
Lawyer referral services are free services that help people who can pay for a lawyer to help with their legal problem.
The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service helps people in Alabama find lawyers who are licensed in Alabama and are members in good standing of the Alabama State Bar. Lawyers referred by this service will not charge more than $50 for the first 30-minute consultation.
The Birmingham Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service helps connect people in the Birmingham metropolitan area with a lawyer who is experienced and qualified in a particular field of law. You should discuss the cost of the initial 30-minute consultation when you contact the lawyer to whom you have been referred.
If you cannot afford to pay for a lawyer, do not give up — there are other ways to get help.
Limited Scope Representation, sometimes called unbundling, is when a lawyer helps you to do some of the work on your legal problem, but you also do some of the work yourself. You only pay the lawyer for the parts that s/he helps you with. For more information about limited scope representation see Limited Scope Representation: FAQs by the Public.
Legal Services Alabama (LSA) is a nonprofit organization with offices across the state that give free legal help in civil cases to people in Alabama who cannot pay for a lawyer. Legal Services helps people whose income is not more than 125% of the federal poverty level.
You may also qualify for a free lawyer through one of Alabama’s five Volunteer Lawyers Programs.