If you need to find an attorney in Ohio, then consider contacting one of the fifteen (15) different Lawyer Referral Services sponsors by city or county bar associations. Six (6) of these Lawyer Referral Services are recognized by the American Bar Association for meeting their standards for such programs.
These services will refer individuals to a local and qualified attorney in exchange for a nominal fee. The fee is used to run the program and pre-screen the attorneys for their good standing with the Ohio Bar Association, qualifications to serve on a panel for a particular type of legal problem and other eligibility criteria.
In the state of Ohio, Gov.Bar R. XVI regulates lawyer-referral-and-information services and requires them to operate in the public interest, to identify themselves as a lawyer referral service or a lawyer-referral-and-information service, and to register with the Supreme Court Office of Attorney Services. See Gov.Bar R. XVI(1)(A)(1) and (2) and (B).
List of Lawyer Referral Services in Ohio
Akron Bar Association LRIS
57 South Broadway
Akron, OH 44308
Phone: 330-253-5038
Toll-free: 866-OUR-LAWS (866-687-5297)
Website: http://www.akronbar.org/needalawyer.cstm
Serving Summit County, Portage County, Wayne County, Cuyahoga County, Medina County, and Stark County
Butler County Bar Association LRS
315 Maple Avenue
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Phone: 513-896-6671
Website: https://www.butlercountybar.org/referral.aspx
Serving Butler County and Hamilton County
Cincinnati Bar Association LRS
225 E. Sixth Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Phone: 513-381-8359
Toll-free: 888-628-2577
Website: http://www.cincybar.org/about/services/lawyer-referral-service.php
Serving Hamilton County, Clermont County, Warren County, Butler County in Ohio;
Boone County, Kenton County, Campbell County in Kentucky and Dearborne County in Indiana.
Clermont County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyers' Referral Service
c/o Law Library
270 E. Main Street
Batavia, Ohio 45103
Phone: (513)732-2050
E-Mail: cclaw@cclla.org
Website: www.clermontlawlibrary.com/
Serving Clermont County, Hamilton County, Brown County, Adams County
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association LRS
1375 East 9th Street, Floor 2
Cleveland, OH 44114-1785
Phone: 216-696-3532 or 216-696-3525
Toll-free: 877-CLEV-BAR
Website: http://www.clemetrobar.org/LRS/
Serving Cleveland and Cuyahoga County
Columbus Bar Association LRS
175 S. Third St., Suite 1100
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-221-0754
Toll-free: 877-560-1014
Website: http://www.cbalaw.org/CBA_PROD/Main/Resources/Public/LRS.aspx
Serving Columbus, Franklin County, Licking County, Fairfield County, Delaware County and Pickaway County
Dayton Bar Association LRS
109 N. Main St., Ste - 600
Dayton, OH 45402
Phone: 937-222-6102 or 937-222-6824
Website: http://www.daybar.org/public/lrs/request-a-lawyer.php
Serving Dayton, Montgomery County, Miami County, Greene County, Darke County and Warren County
Hocking County Bar Association - Lawyer Referral Service
Logan, OH
Phone: 740-385-8561 x3105
Serving Hocking County
Lake County Bar Association LRIS
Courthouse-West Annex, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 490
25 North Park Place
Painesville, Ohio 44077
Phone: 440-350-5800
Website: http://www.lcba-ohio.org/referral.htm
Serving Lake County, Geauga County, Ashtabula County, Cuyahoga County
Mahoning County Bar Association LRS
114 E. Front St.
Suite 100
Youngstown, OH 44503
Phone: 330-746-2737
Website: http://www.mahoningbar.org/public_resources/lrs_public/lawyer_referral_public.htm
Serving Mahoning County
Medina County Bar Association LRS
93 Public Square
Medina, Ohio 44256
Phone: 330-725-9794
Website: http://www.medinabar.org/literature/
Serving Medina County
Pro Seniors, Inc.
Cincinnati, OH
Phone: 513-345-4160
Toll-free: 800-488-6070
Serving Individuals Statewide
Stark County Lawyer Referral Service
116 Cleveland Ave., N.W.
Suite 400
Canton, Ohio 44702
Phone: 330-453-0686 or 330-453-0685
Website: http://starkctybar.com/referrals.htm
Serving Stark County
Toledo Bar Association LRS
311 N. Superior St.
Toledo, OH 43604-1421
Phone: 419-242-2000
Website: http://www.toledobar.org/referral.aspx
Serving Lucas County and all of Northwest Ohio
Trumbull County Bar Association LRS
Phone: 330-675-2415
Website: http://www.tcba.net/
Serving Trumbull County and Mahoning County
Additional Resources
Ohio's Attorney Board Certifications - Visit the website of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) to find information on the process of becoming a board-certified legal specialist. The Ohio State Bar Association certifies specialists in eleven practice areas including Administrative Agency Law, Appellate Law, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law., Family Relations Law, Federal Tax Law, Insurance Coverage Law, Labor and Employment Law, Real Property - Business, Commercial, and Industrial Law, Real Property - Residential Law, and Workers' Compensation Law. Standards for certification for different practice areas vary. Review Rule XIV of the Rules for the Government of the Bar for general information about specialty certification in Ohio.
Legal Organizations in Ohio - Find a list of legal organizations in Ohio including the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Ohio State Legal Services Association (OSLSA), and the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice.
If you need to find an attorney in Ohio, then consider beginning your search with a Lawyer Referral Service in your area. These services help the public find a local and qualified lawyer in a fast and convenient way.
All attorneys are pre-screen for their good standing with the Ohio State Bar Association, qualifications to serve on a panel for a particular practice area of the law and other important eligibility criteria.
Six of these services are recognized by the American Bar Association for meeting its standards for a Lawyer Referral Service. These non-profit community-based public services provide an important alternative to searching for an attorney online or through a commercial directory.
This article was last updated on Friday, November 19, 2019.
