Welcome to the South Dakota Lawyer Referral Service (“SDLRS”). SDLRS refers members of the public, who are seeking representation and willing to pay attorney fees, to attorneys registered with the program. SDLRS is a regular fee referral service, which means the program does not discuss attorney fees with members of the public or attorneys in the program. SDLRS does not require or request attorney members to reduce or cap their attorney fees for any referral made by the program. If you are an active licensed attorney and are interested in joining the SDLRS, please read the information below to learn about the program and how you can enroll.
Fees
SDLRS is available to all members of the State Bar of South Dakota, for free.
It is strongly encouraged that attorneys contribute 7% of their attorney fees collected from the SDLRS referred client to the SD Bar Foundation. The SD Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the State Bar of South Dakota. Contributions received from the SD Bar Foundation are used to fund programming that furthers public knowledge of the law and trust in the legal system. The Foundation also supports the SDLRS by providing funding for advertising and marketing materials.
How do I enroll in SDLRS?
Attorneys who wish to participate in SDLRS must email info@sdbar.net, and put “Lawyer Referral Enrollment” in the subject line. In that email, please send us your name, bar number and what panels/subpanels you would like to be listed under. Staff from the State Bar of South Dakota will be in touch with you with more information after they receive your email request.
Other requirements for SDLRS attorneys:
- SDLRS attorneys must be members in good standing of the State Bar of South Dakota and carry E&O insurance of at least $100,000/300,000.
- Attorneys are required to create their own member profiles. You can learn more about how to set up your profile in the Help Section.
- Attorneys are required to upload a pdf copy of their insurance declaration page to their attorney profile. Referrals are suspended if an attorney member’s insurance is expired. Attorneys can update their insurance declaration page and expiration dates to their attorney profile to continue to receive referrals.
How referrals are made
SDLRS operates as a web-based platform service. Potential clients are referred to the website to complete an online questionnaire. If a referral seems reasonable based on information provided, the potential client is given the contact information of all SDLRS attorneys who are members of the panel related to the potential client’s legal need. The potential client can then select an attorney from the list provided.
