NYC Bar Legal Referral Service Celebrates 80 Years of Connecting New Yorkers with Legal Help

The New York City Bar Association Legal Referral Service (LRS) is celebrating its 80th anniversary, marking eight decades of connecting individuals and businesses across New York City and surrounding counties with qualified, vetted attorneys. Founded in 1946, and the first lawyer referral service in New York City approved by the American Bar Association, the LRS was created with a simple mission: to help individuals and businesses find the right lawyer for their legal needs.

Created by the City Bar and the New York County Lawyers’ Association, the LRS is one of the oldest lawyer referral and information services in New York State and serves as a model for similar services across the country. In 2024 alone, the LRS referred more than 50,000 potential clients to participating lawyers, with LRS referrals generating over $146 million in fees to participating lawyers over the previous decade.

“For 80 years, the Legal Referral Service has stood as a vital bridge between New Yorkers in need and the attorneys who can help them,” said LRS Executive Director George Wolff. “From supporting veterans returning from World War II, to mobilizing lawyers after September 11, to launching 24/7 self-referral technology last year, we have never stopped responding and evolving to meet the public where they are.”

A Legacy Rooted in Service

The LRS was founded in 1946 to serve a city — and a country — in transition. Its original mission was twofold: to provide access to legal services for New Yorkers returning from World War II, and to help attorneys rebuild practices interrupted by the war. The initial consultation fee was $5.00.

From its earliest days, the LRS placed itself at the center of New York’s most pressing legal and civic challenges. In the 1950s, it recruited lawyers to push back against the excesses of McCarthyism. In the 1970s, it marshaled civil rights attorneys to represent inmates following the Attica prison uprising. By 1974, the service was facilitating more than 12,000 referrals annually.

Responding to Crisis, Decade After Decade

Throughout its history, the LRS has repeatedly answered the call in moments of tragedy and crisis. In 1990, the LRS organized a legal forum for families of the 87 victims of the Happy Land Social Club fire in the Bronx. In 1998, LRS panel members stepped in to represent tenants of the Woodstock Hotel after the building’s scaffolding collapsed.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the LRS rapidly mobilized lawyers across multiple specialties to assist victims and their families, and launched a dedicated online referral system focused on issues arising from the World Trade Center disaster. That same year, the LRS printed a guidance handbook for families of victims of American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed in Queens.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the LRS waived its standard $35 initial consultation fee, ensuring that New Yorkers facing legal emergencies during an unprecedented crisis could still access help.

Innovation and Expanding Access

Over the decades, the LRS has continuously modernized its operations to serve a growing and changing city. In 1991, it launched the Monday Night Law Clinic, which continues to offer free 30-minute consultations with volunteer attorneys. In 2001, it introduced online lawyer referrals. By 2009, a staff of 12 attorney referral counselors was fielding more than 110,000 calls per year.

In 2010, the LRS was certified by the American Bar Association Attorney Referral System to receive referrals from the U.S. Department of Labor for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. In 2012, the Civil Court Project expanded access to legal help for New Yorkers navigating the civil court system. In 2015, LRS panel members secured a $6.2 million verdict in a landmark pregnancy discrimination lawsuit.

A major legislative milestone came in 2018, when the New York State Legislature amended the New York Judiciary Law to protect the confidentiality of LRS consumers — a collaborative achievement between the New York City Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.

In 2025, the LRS launched a self-referral system enabling people to connect with attorneys in many areas of law entirely on their own, 24 hours a day, seven days a week — a reflection of the organization’s commitment to meeting New Yorkers’ needs on their own terms and schedule.

Today, New York City’s 311 helpline regularly refers calls to the Legal Referral Service.

Looking Ahead

As the LRS enters its 81st year, it remains committed to exploring emerging technologies and new service models to ensure that every New Yorker — regardless of background or circumstance — can find qualified legal help when they need it most.

The LRS can be reached by phone at 212-626-7373 (en español: 212-626-7374) or online at www.citybarlegalreferral.org.

See the LRS timeline here.

About the Association
The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has over 20,000 members, is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org