Lawyer Referral Service Complaints

Many people looking for an attorney use a State Bar certified lawyer referral service to find one. The State Bar certifies lawyer referral services to ensure that you get the best legal help for your needs.

When an agency fails to deliver a referral or other services you need, you can file a complaint, and the State Bar will investigate. The State Bar investigates complaints against both certified and uncertified lawyer referral services.

If you use a certified lawyer referral service

Here are examples of situations in which you may want to file a complaint:

  • The lawyer referral service promises to find a bilingual attorney who speaks your language, but the attorney they found doesn’t.
  • The referral was to an attorney whose practice area was different than the one you requested.
  • You did not get an initial consultation with an attorney to whom you were referred, even though you were promised one.

In many cases, the lawyer referral service will try to resolve your problem by offering another referral. But if you still want to file a complaint against the lawyer referral service, the State Bar can help you.

What if the service is not certified by the State Bar?

If a business promotes their lawyer referral services to you, check first that they are certified. Under California law, the State Bar has enforcement authority over all lawyer referral activity in California. To protect the public, the agency will investigate and take action against uncertified lawyer referral services.

We welcome information about uncertified lawyer referral activity in California from any concerned person, group, or organization. You do not have to do business with the service to file a complaint.

If you have a grievance against an individual attorney and not against the service or business that referred you to the attorney, you can file an attorney misconduct complaint with the State Bar.

Find out how a lawyer referral service can help you.