Deputy Executive Director’s Message by Cameron M. Rountree Join the VLRS: Free, Prescreened Referrals and a Benefit to Your Community GREETINGS FELLOW VIRGINIA LAWYERS! I have the privilege of supplementing Virginia Lawyer ’s nor-mal monthly columns of ethical and regulatory foreboding with something a little different. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight an exciting and positive aspect of the Virginia State Bar that aims to help Virginia lawyers generate fee-paying clients. That’s right, fee-paying clients. Now that I have your rapt attention . . . Let’s face it, under normal condi-tions, communication with the VSB may raise alarm: “Has a complaint been filed against me?” “Have I cer-tified my CLEs for this year?” “Did I really answer that bar exam essay about bailment correctly?” But when a call or email from the friendly staff of the Virginia Lawyer Referral Service (VLRS) finds you, there’s no need to fret. They’re reaching out to let you know that they have pre-screened a potential client who requires your specific legal services, in your actual legal market. That’s why you should consider joining the VLRS right now— particularly because the remainder of 2020, a one-year membership is FREE. For those unfamiliar, the VLRS is the VSB’s in-house lawyer referral service that has operated since 1977 to enhance and support one of the VSB’s core missions—advancing the availability and quality of legal services provided to the people of Virginia. In fiscal year 2019, the VLRS received and answered over 14,000 telephone calls, responded to 377 emails and provided 609 online requests from potential clients, throughout the Commonwealth, seeking the ser-vices of a Virginia lawyer. The VLRS referred 4,042 of those inquiries to its 300+ lawyer-panel-members. So how does it work? Most importantly, the VLRS provides you with screened referrals. Of the 15,000 potential clients who call the VLRS every year, roughly two-thirds have needs that cannot be met by a private practitioner. Whether it’s an inability to pay, a misunderstanding in the need for a lawyer, or even a mistaken belief about whether a legal issue exists, the VLRS staff, like the bivalves of the Rappahannock, filters requests to those within your practice focus; sav-ing you and your support staff valuable time. If there’s a match between a po-tential client’s needs and your services, then, in exchange for a $35 consult fee paid to the VLRS by the potential client, they get to swipe right and have you provide them with a consultation of up to 30 minutes. If an engagement is reached, at the conclusion of the rep-resentation, you remit a 15 percent fee back to the VLRS—for fees in excess of $500. As a panel member of the VLRS, lawyers get a host of benefits, includ-ing: prescreened referred callers with legal concerns; access to potential clients via client self-generated refer-rals 24 hours a day; listing of up to 10 referral categories of law; access to a personalized user profile on the VLRS website; and knowledge that a poten-tial client can pay a fee. All of this is in exchange for a one-year panel mem-bership cost of $95. If, like me, you went to law school to avoid math, I’ve been told that works out to be about $8 per month, but that will only kick in after your introductory free year’s membership, if you sign up now. The VLRS is a useful resource in a typical year, but as we all understand, 2020 is anything but a typical year. The novel coronavirus and associated illness—COVID-19—have disrupted traditional legal marketing. In-person consultations and appointments that once could be relied on to build rapport and establish an enduring attorney-client relationship, now must take place through impersonal tele-communication devoid of interperson-al connection but replete with audio latency and uncomfortable reprisals of the phrase, “No, you go ahead.” While the VLRS can’t take the place of physical meetings, it can augment your existing marketing strategies. And, as with any challenge, opportunity abounds. In the past several months the VLRS has seen a surge in the need for lawyers with experience in employment matters, housing law, estate planning, consumer law and domestic relations. But wait, there’s more. Here’s a great part of the program. As I men-tioned, for members with less than five years of bar membership, and those who have never participated in the VLRS, you can now get a one-year free VLRS panel membership. So, if the potential to pad your book of business isn’t enough of a motivator, or an ability to help moderate-income potential clients doesn’t impel you to action, then perhaps the absence of a financial barrier (a bar, if you will . . . relish the pun) can help push you to commit. Consider joining the VLRS today. Call now because, as always, VLRS staff members are standing by, (804) 775-0591. R 12 VIRGINIA LAWYER | AUGUST 2020 | VOL. 69 www.vsb.org
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Deputy Executive Director’s Message
Cameron M. Rountree
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