North Penn Legal Services

Finding a lawyer (when NPLS is unable to assist you)

Free legal services to low-income families

Free legal services attorneys for civil cases in other areas: In other states, try Legal Services Corporation website. In many cases legal services in other counties or states will require that your application be made to NPLS and your case referred to them.

In other areas of Pennsylvania, check for available services from PaLawHelp

In other states, try the website of the Legal Service Corporation

For a free attorney in a criminal case, contact the Public Defender.

For a free appointed attorney in juvenile dependency case, contact the caseworker at the county Children and Youth Services office.

Finding a private attorney

First, check the lawyer referral service. At your request, you will receive the names of experienced, knowledgeable lawyers who practice law in the area in which you want advice or representation.

Second, Try on-line legal directories. Try Martindate Lawyer Locator. This directory identifies lawyers by county, shows their areas of practice and gives ratings of their abilities. Check the FindLaw Legal Directory. This directory is another way to locate lawyers by practice and geographic area. It gives a bio of the lawyer. It doesn't always search as well by county as Martindale but it has a larger base and does a good job by city or town.

Third, another good way to find a lawyer is to ask friends and associates about their experiences and find out who they recommend.

Fourth, check the local yellow pages for lawyer listings.

After you have identified a lawyer who you think can serve your needs, call and ask to meet with the lawyer for an initial interview. This is when you discuss frankly your problems and needs, as well as the lawyer's experience handling your type of problems. It is i mportant that you feel you can communicate with the lawyer and that he or she carefully listens to your problems. Also, you should not expect your lawyer to guarantee results because this is not proper. However, you should expect your lawyer will work diligently on your behalf.

Also, it is essential that you have a clear understanding concerning fees that will be charged for the lawyer's services. It is vital that you and your lawyer enter into a written agreement, signed by both parties, concerning legal fees and expenses.
And last, you should know that you have the ability to terminate your lawyer's services anytime you are dissatisfied with the services provided.

Lawyer Referral Service

The Pennsylvania Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) refers callers to lawyers in the counties that do not have a referral service of their own. This service covers 46 of the 67 counties in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lawyers participate in this service on a voluntary basis and have indicated the areas of law in which they will accept referrals. Computerization ensures lawyers are rotated automatically by county according to the type of case.

There is no charge for contacting the LRS. By using this service, the participating attorney agrees to grant Referral Service clients an initial consultation of up to one half-hour for a fee of $30; $15 of that fee shall be returned to the PBA Lawyer Referral Service with the client referral form. If it is the policy of the attorney to waive initial consultation fees, he/she is required to collect the $15 referral fee to be returned to the PBA.

The PA Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service operates Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached by calling (800) 692-7375 or (717) 238-6807.

To see if your county has its own referral services or uses the PBA, click here. Note that local referral services may have terms such as the cost of the initial consultation which differ from the PBA, so check when you call.