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2016 OCTOBER REFERRAL STATS

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MANAGING CLIENT

EXPECTATIONS

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

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Referral focus ADD R ESSI NG T H E N EED S O F L R I S PAN EL M EM BER S AND

PRO VI D ING A QU AL I T Y SER VI C E .

Knoxville Bar Association Lawyer Referral & Information Service

LRIS reaches out

to the business

community at

Chamber Event

It’s always fun to have the opportunity to get out and meet people in the community who are making things happen. LRIS had the pleasure of hosting a table at the Knoxville Chamber’s “Schmoozapalooza” event at the Civic Coliseum on September 15 along with a diverse array of other local businesses and nonprofits including restaurants, hotels, recreational businesses, financial and educational institutions, and lots more. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of both our Lawyer Referral program and our upcoming public education program, LawTalk, scheduled for November 4 and 5. Your participation in the referral service makes our marketing efforts possible through the percentage fees program. As a nonprofit, our association strives to responsibly operate and invest our resources in those programs which will benefit the public as a whole.

On the following pages, you will find summaries of the 2015-16 year which ended on June 30, as well as other information which I hope you will find interesting and useful.

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LRIS Administrator: Tracy Chain

tchain@knoxbar.org

865-862-8051

LRIS Assistant Brittany Headrick

bheadrick@knoxbar.org

865-862-8051

www.knoxbar.org

Lawyer Referral Main Phone Number

865-522-7501

Laura Bradley Myers

Committee Chair

Nicholas H. Armes Arnold G. Cohen John B. Dupree Luke D. Durham

Theodore R. Kern Jacqueline O. Kittrell

John P. Newton M. Samantha Parris

Robert E. Pitts James K. Scott

LRIS Committee

Board Liaison

Tasha C. Blakney

Helpful information for you and your staff

The LRIS is a public service of the Knoxville Bar Association. If a referral to an attorney is not appropriate, the caller is referred to a government or social service agency for help.

Our voice mail message and LRIS staff advise the potential client that the attorneys on the service are NOT free. Clients are also informed that panel members do not provide legal representation on a sliding fee or reduced rate.

LRIS policies state that the referred attorney will provide a 30-minute FREE in-office visit OR a brief phone consultation.

Clients are advised to allow 1-2 business days for the attorney to return their phone call. If you plan to be out of the office, we ask that you or a staff member contact us and let us know of your absence so we may temporarily suspend referrals. An email to tchain@knoxbar.org works well.

A fee agreement is REQUIRED by LRIS policy when a client retains your services.

If you decline a referral for any reason, you should refer the client back to LRIS. A LRIS client may also be seen by another attorney in your firm but make sure to let LRIS know.

The initial referral confirmation form is due back to LRIS within 10 days of the referral. Should you forget, any referral case without a status change will show up on the monthly referral report you will receive around the middle of each month.

Our Staff

reminders

LRIS Committee

What if I can’t help a client that was referred to me? If you decline a referral for any reason, you should refer the client back to the LRIS.

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Referral

Fiscal year 2015 - 2016

Total Calls received: 6639

Total Referrals made: 3123

Total LRIS fee income: $141,094.92

Total Attorney fees generated: $940K

July and August 2016 (current fiscal year)

Total Calls received: 1419

Total Referrals made: 396

Total LRIS Fee income: $28,396.63

Total Attorney fees generated: $189K

Fee Generating Panels 2015-16

Personal Injury

Real Property

Domestic Law

Employment

Estate Planning

Criminal Defense

The LRIS fiscal year begins on July 1st each year.

To date, LRIS panel members have earned $3.86M in fees from

cases referred since 7/1/10!

HOT SUMMER: LRIS Fee

income for July and August

2016 is up by 30% over the

same period in 2015.

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Did You Know?

New Fiscal Year

Began 7/1/16

Fun Facts for Fiscal Year 2015-2016

Case Types Referred: Employment, Domestic, Personal Injury,

Consumer Protection, and Miscellaneous Torts.

Fees Collected: Personal Injury, Real Property, Domestic, Employment,

and Estate Planning.

Referral Sources: Attorneys & their staff, Online search, Legal Aid and

Court Personnel, Friends and family, and other agencies.

LRIS is not pro bono. Total fees collected by LRIS panel attorneys in

the last two fiscal years is nearly $2.03 million. Over $890,000 of

those fees have were from cases referred just in the past two years.

LRIS members make up less than 5% of the total KBA

membership—what that means for you is MORE calls directed

specifically to YOUR area of interest.

The average LRIS member has practiced for 21 years. We have

attorneys in their first few years of practice all the way to 50

years in practice.

KBA Lawyer Referral &

Information Service

LRIS currently

has 75 panel

member

attorneys in 25

practice areas.

Business, Domestic,

and Personal Injury panels have

the most members.

To

p 5

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Managing Client Expectations In today’s changing legal market, thoughtfully managing client expectations to improve not only client satisfaction, but also one’s own, is a wise approach. An August 2011 article in “Law Practice Today” by Micah Buchdahl, past chair of the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section, outlines ten tips to that end.

1) Under promise and over deliver. “When you hedge on what you can deliver…the end result is better to

bring back gleeful references of ‘better than I had hoped for’ rather than ‘he was OK’ from the exact same

outcome.”

2) Jettison high maintenance. “Rid yourself of the client that will never be satisfied.” Buchdahl notes

there are exceptions - the “battle pay” client good for recurring revenue – but points out that actually

letting the client walk who consumes unfair portions of time and energy will free you up to satisfying the

clients who remain, and allow you to make more money.

3) Bill right. An invoice that is understandable, “that provides enough detail, in a timely fashion, that

makes them think ‘that was well worth it’” – “Why is this so hard?” However, he cautions against nickel-

and-dime charges and suggests one eat a few copies, don’t charge for a phone call, etc. If the client puts

the magnifying glass to the bill, let it make you look good.

4) Communicate. The client doesn’t know what you know – that everything is under control. Is it so hard

to make a quick phone call to let them know you’re waiting on someone, that you’ve done all you can?

5) Staff right. “Make sure your client knows who is working on what and when. I know none of us ever

overstaff. Or dole out the heavy lifting and swoop in at the end. Staffing is also tied to communication

and cost – be sure the client has a clear understanding of the who and what in regard to getting the job

done.”

6) Recognize recurring revenue. Does this client have great referral and reference capabilities? Take a

look at the big picture. Use caution, though, on the client who suggests if you work cheaply for them,

they’ll send you lots of business. “That too would be business on the cheap. The sophisticated client

won’t say that – they will, however, do it.”

7) Conflicts. “Consider sending your client to someone good as opposed to someone who won’t take them

away. If you can’t retain the client on your own, that is your problem.”

8) Call me when you don’t need me. Calling a client when they don’t expect anything, just to check in, “is

marketing gold and gives the client a feeling that you care. Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. But it will

feel that way.”

9) Don’t bait and switch. See #5. “Deliver the people that are expected at the acceptable rate. You know

the difference. And if you don’t, ask.”

10) How did I do? Asking for feedback allows the client to express their opinion and feel that you care.

Second, that feedback enables you to improve where needed.

Remember, the Knoxville Bar Association is your partner in practice. We offer many resources to help you

build your practice, earn a better living, and gain personal satisfaction from your work. With the “best

educated bar” program, you have unlimited access to our online library of CLE programming, only needing to

pay when you wish to receive CLE credit for what you watch. We have “Mentor for the Moment” volunteers

waiting for your call, and many opportunities to socialize and network with your peers. If you don’t know

where to start, call one of our staff and we will be happy to help.

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Referral Confirmation Form A referral form is generated at the time the client contacts the

LRIS. The form is faxed or e-mailed to the panel attorney

immediately after the referral has been processed. The form will

provide the panel attorney with the client’s name, address,

contact number and a brief description of the legal issue. The

form should be returned to the LRIS office with a status update

(retained, consultation only, no contact) within 10 days of the

date of the referral.

REMEMBER: You must enter into a written fee agreement with

the LRIS client for services beyond the initial consultation.

Monthly Status Report The Monthly Status report is sent in the middle of each month

and reflects any cases for which we have not received a status

update, i.e. still Open, through the end of the previous month.

Panel members who return all individual client referral

confirmation forms with a case status reflected will not receive

a monthly status report.

Retained Case Report A retained case report is generated approximately every 90 days

and provides information about all referrals which you

previously reported as retained or monitoring. It is our reminder

to you to send in the percentage fee as you receive client’s

payments, and to let us know when cases are closed. It is very

important that these reports be accurate, and that you return

them on time. Please sign and date the report even when there

is no payment owed or status change to report. *The 15% fee due LRIS is to be forwarded within 10 days of your

receipt of your attorney fees. If you have fees due to LRIS, please send

them without waiting on the Retained Case Report. The report will be

updated when the fees are entered into our database.

Quarterly Case Report Not a duplicate of the Retained Case Report, the quarterly report

consists of ALL the referrals sent to you within the 3 months

prior to the report date. Panel members are asked to carefully

review the quarterly report and note if there has been a change

in status in any of the referrals sent within the prior 3 months.

(For example, a client whose case was marked as closed, may

have decided to “come back” and retain services in the

intervening time.) This report should only require a relatively

quick review, update and signature, and will be due back to LRIS

within 10 days of the date of the report.

¹LRIS Policies & Procedures, Section 4.3(h), 4.5. and 5.3

²LRIS Policies & Procedures, Section 7.

LRIS Reporting 101 There are four (4) routine reports associated with LRIS panel membership. Each one serves an important purpose to document status of all cases

referred through the Service.¹ Prompt LRIS reporting is a requirement for continued active status on the service.²

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The Veterans Legal Advice Clinic is a project sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association

(KBA), the Knoxville Barristers (the Young Lawyers Division of the KBA), Legal Aid of East

Tennessee, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, the University

of Tennessee College of Law and the local Veteran’s Affairs Office.

November 2, 2016 12 p.m.—2 p.m.

Or

November 30, 2016 12 p.m.—2 p.m.

Public Defender’s Community Law Office

1101 Liberty Street, Knoxville, TN 37919

Visit www.knoxbar.org to sign up!

Mentor for the

Moment Have a question?

can help.

The practice of law is a profession. It requires a high degree of skill and concentrated effort and is becoming increasingly complex in today's world. The KBA’s Mentor for the Moment program pairs attorneys who have questions or problems in a particular area of legal expertise with the guidance of a more experienced Mentor attorney.

Volunteer mentors help create a more cooperative and collegial Knoxville Bar. They know the importance of getting advice from others who have experienced similar problems and frustrations in their law practice. The Mentor for the Moment program offers quick telephone access to the counsel of attorneys who have experience with, and knowledge of particular dilemmas and areas of practice. The Mentor for the Moment program assists the Knoxville Bar Association in fulfilling its professional obligations; to maintain competence and assist in improving the legal profession.

Call a Mentor Today!

Help is only a phone call away. View the list of mentors in the Members Only section at www.knoxbar.org or

in the KBA Attorneys’ Directory.

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The Knoxville Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral & Information Service is YOUR partner in practice. From the moment we answer a call, we begin managing your client’s expectations. Three of the several stated purposes of the Knoxville Bar Association are 1) To serve as a leader in advancing excellence, ethical conduct, professionalism and public responsibility in the legal

profession; 2) To increase the public’s understanding of the legal system, the legal profession, and its role in the system; 3) To identify and support the needs of a diverse membership and foster an environment in which members experience

a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction in the practice of the law. Many callers to the LRIS don’t understand the legal system and have negative opinions about the legal system. Even if we cannot help them, we want to do what we can to create a more positive image of attorneys. If we cannot help a caller, and they thank us when hanging up, we feel satisfied that we have done this. Calls are screened by our staff to elicit pertinent information regarding the nature of their legal problem. Clients are told to expect a free initial consultation, either in-office or a phone consultation. We make sure that they know to mention that they were referred by the Knoxville Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service and that after the initial consultation the attorney will set his or her own fees. Clients are informed that after they initiate contact, they may expect a return call from you within 1-2 business days. When your staff is familiar with how the LRIS program works, our staff and yours can work together seamlessly to ensure clients are calmer, happier, and feel assured that they are being taken care of. Should your staff ever have any questions about a referral, need to inform us that you are out of the office unexpectedly, or need any additional information, we hope they understand they are most welcome to call us.

Service for your Client Starts

When We Pick Up The Phone

Help that Client . If your caseload is full or if a client's legal

matter is outside the scope of your practice,

tell the client to call the KBA Lawyer

Referral & Information

Service at (865) 522-7501

for assistance.

Our highly trained LRIS

staff will direct the client

to an agency that may

meet their needs,

OR refer them to a

qualified and experienced

KBA Lawyer Referral

Service Panel Member.

https://www.facebook.com/KBALRIS

Lawyer Referral – A Service of the Knoxville Bar Association

KBALRIS