Subscriber Comments for
Santa Barbara County Lawyer Referral Service

Most recent Comments first | (reverse order)

COMMENT 96018	2010-08-06 12:05 PM
Thanks very much to everyone who took the time to offer comments, and many thanks to Edhat for spotlighting the Lawyer Referral Service as the "Featured Nonprofit." Regarding the experience of the LRS lawyers: the average amount of experience of our attorneys is eighteen years. And regarding meeting "overhead" costs, our attorneys have been known to reduce their fees in order to assist a client in need. Being a lawyer myself, I'm well aware of the reputation of some members of our profession. We do our best to listen and help. Lida
COMMENT 95936	2010-08-06 07:14 AM
Few. if any, LRS attorneys are "inexperienced". You do not have to take my word for this, though. Go to www.calbar.ca.gov & use the Attorney Search feature to view, for example, the year the attorney earned his/her license. The Executive Director, Lida Sideris, is unflinchingly ethical and highly competent and would not allow the abuses suggested by a couple of commenters. I concur re Nolo Press and that the more you know, the better your experience will be. This is true, however, for almost every service out there.
COMMENT 94804	2010-08-02 09:20 AM
Readers Digest has an excellent book called "You and the Law" which is as good as a 3 year law school education for the lay person. Additionally NOLO press (website) has excellent self-help legal guides that make the law, your rights, duties and obligations very clear and understandable. Many are geared specifically for California residents. The more you know, the easier and cheaper it is for a lawyer to help you.
COMMENT 94703	2010-08-01 06:32 PM
Glad to read the LRS worked for you, 94672.
COMMENT 94688	2010-08-01 05:20 PM
Smile at an overview? Santa Barbara Lawyers Referral Service? (A First Draft. Your thoughts?) The British Joyce Kilmer about a century ago wrote of poetry. "Poems are made by fools like me...” Something like that might be written about laws all across America, "Laws are made by fools like me." LAWS ARE MADE BY FOOLS LIKE ME? How can that be? Let's see? As seen from a carefully distant overview -- a "Man in The Moon Overview" -- our beloved America -- "Land of the Free" -- is swimming in a cesspool of equine excrement generally referred to as "The Law". Look deeper into your own thinking ability? Phrase: "But it's The Law!" Phrase: "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!" Who says those? Consider for a moment the philosopher comment."The law, sir, is an ass!" What if we look to a basic question -- a "What if?" What if a part of the goings-on in our laws -- and thence at least part of the goings-on in and around the Santa Barbara Courthouse -- are also simply wrong?
COMMENT 94672	2010-08-01 04:45 PM
No one likes to seek legal help, but I have used this lawyer referral service in santa barbara when I needed real estate help. The attorney referred to me had thirty + years' experience and was not only a huge help, but his fees were fair. Not only that, if I didn't seek legal help, I could have been in serious financial trouble. The person I spoke to at this service was very knowledgeable and helpful and guided me to an attorney who was a good fit for me. I would use them again, if I needed to.
COMMENT 94804	2010-07-31 07:19 PM
Only new attorneys looking for clients sign up for Lawyer Referral. You get free half hour but watch out for what they later think you need to do. Put it this way, to meet overhead a lawyer needs about $500 a day and he/she is going to get it somehow, whether you need it or not. So you are right; sounds good in theory, but in practice is just a loss leader for hopefully a few hundred bucks later. Legal Aid also used to have a free clinic for 20 minute appointments and there were some good lawyers who sat these clinics because there are some that are a bit charitable about the profession. But again most of the clients didn't really want legal help other than how to avoid paying their child support, stick it to a landlord, declare bankruptcy after financial irresponsibility or avoid paying income taxes - ever. Rarely is the lawyer worse than the scamming client, is what I learned.
COMMENT 94703	2010-07-31 03:24 PM
This description of the LRS and how it works sounds great - in a perfect world. It's been my experience [from occasionally referring people to the LRS and then listening to the feedback] is that many of the attorneys listed in the LRS are relatively inexperienced, and have listed themselves in the LRS only to attract new clients and build up their fledgling practices. The actual usefulness of the LRS is somewhat limited. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Caveat emptor.

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