Lawyer Referral Service to Close Effective Sept. 22, 2023
After running the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) in-house for more than three years and conducting a comprehensive review, the Law Society is closing the LRS effective Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
We did not make the decision to close the LRS lightly. We understand that finding a lawyer can be overwhelming, especially when people are in distress or facing a difficult time in their lives. Connecting the public with lawyers in Alberta remains an important goal for the Law Society.
The LRS is a phone-in service where the public called to receive the names of three lawyers who could potentially assist them with their legal issue. This service did not provide free legal advice. Over the last few years, we reviewed the LRS to determine its effectiveness and assess its long-term sustainability for users, lawyers and the Law Society. We gathered feedback from LRS users and Alberta lawyers, as well as held discussions with stakeholders in the legal community to learn how their clients were using the service.
Feedback gathered confirmed that the LRS was not meeting expectations on many fronts. Callers expressed they were not always matched with the right lawyer for their legal issue or were unable to connect with a lawyer once they received contact information. Both lawyers and others in the legal community shared that there was a misconception with callers that the service offered free legal advice, when it was only ever meant to be a referral service
Lawyer Directory
The Law Society is working to modernize and enhance our other web-based tool, the Lawyer Directory, which will provide the public with a quick and easy way to find a lawyer in Alberta. The Lawyer Directory is an online search tool that lets you find a lawyer based on certain criteria. It provides contact information for all lawyers in Alberta. There are approximately 7,500 lawyers in private practice with a vast array of practice areas who you can reach out to for legal assistance.
Technology has advanced significantly since the inception of the LRS, and we believe that by focusing our efforts on digital tools like the Lawyer Directory we can still play a vital role in helping Albertans find lawyers who match their legal issue.
Update Your Information in the Lawyer Directory
If you were a roster lawyer for the LRS, you will no longer receive phone calls from clients who have been referred through the service. We will be directing the public to use the online Lawyer Directory as an alternative. As such, any lawyer may start to receive phone calls from potential clients who have found their information through the Lawyer Directory.
As per Rule 42, it is important for all Alberta lawyers to keep their contact information in the Lawyer Directory up to date and current so that potential clients can reach you.
The Lawyer Directory reflects the information lawyers input into the Lawyer Portal. Lawyers can update the Directory any time by making changes to their profile in the Lawyer Portal.
By modernizing and enhancing the Lawyer Directory, we hope Albertans will be able to connect with lawyers quickly and easily across the province.
Visit our Find a Lawyer page for more information on the Lawyer Directory.