500 People a Day Seek Legal Aid (New York Magazine)

At the Legal Referral Service run by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, director Allen Charne says he and his staff get 500 phone calls a day from people looking for a lawyer … His staff screens each lawyer before adding the lawyer to its referral list for a given legal specialty. Charne requires lawyers to submit proof of experience in their areas of law, submit work samples and be questioned by a panel of judges and lawyers. Once his staff approves a lawyer for the referral panel, they check the lawyer’s legal standing annually and ask each referred client to complete a satisfaction survey.

New York Magazine
August 1, 2005