To Join the Referral Service:
Request application forms from the NWSBA Office, 800 E. Northwest Highway, Suite 2418, Palatine, IL 60074 - (847) 221-2601. Mail completed forms to the office with appropriate membership dues, or update your member profile for an immediate listing. Include information about practice history, copy of malpractice insurance coverage binder, and areas of practice permitted by the application form.

Referral Service attorneys must provide copies of the first page of their malpractice insurance on an annual basis to the LRS, at the time of renewal of the malpractice insurance.

Referral attorneys will need to notify the NWSBA Office of any changes in practice history.

The NWSBA staff sends referral attorneys written confirmations quarterly for each potential client referred. Attorneys must remit to NWSBA the $25.00 fee for each initial consultation. Failure to so remit shall be referred to the next regular meeting of the Referral Committee for consideration.

Procedure for Handling Referral Requests:
Potential clients call the NWSBA office, obtaining the number through NWSBA advertising or otherwise. Office staff screens the calls, determining the area of practice required to handle the matter and the geographic area from which the caller prefers his/her attorney. Then, the next attorney on the referral list for that area of practice and the geographical area is given to the referral. The attorney's name, address, phone number and additional information from the application terms are given as requested. The staffer informs the caller that the fee for the initial office consultation of up to 1/2 hour is $25.00. The staffer then obtains the caller's name and address. This information is sent by fax to the attorney as soon as possible.

Guidelines for the Referral Attorney in Handling an NWSBA Referral:
If the potential client calls the referral attorney's office, the referral attorney handles the client in the same manner as any other client with these restrictions:

The fee for the initial office consultation of up to 1/2 hour is $25.00. If the referral attorney and client wish to proceed beyond this initial consultation, the referral attorney will charge his or her normal rates upon advance notification to the client.

If the referral attorney wishes to associate with co-counsel, the referral attorney must retain primary responsibility for the matter.

No attorney member may refer any case referred to him/her to another attorney. If the attorney to whom the case is referred determines that he/she cannot handle this matter, he/she shall so inform the Association and the client, and the Association will provide the client with the name of another attorney from the referral list. Violation of this rule will result in the permanent removal of said attorney from the referral service. Nothing in this rule will prevent an attorney from association with co-counsel, regardless of whether said co-counsel is a member of the NWSBA, provided that the original attorney member remains primarily responsible for the matter.

If the referral attorney declined representation, the referral attorney should direct the client back to the NWSBA office to arrange for a new referral attorney.

Please note - New Fee Arrangement
A 10% administrative fee will be assessed by the NWSBA on fees - over $1,000.00 - generated as the result of a referral involving cases of Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Social Security Disability and Tort.

As an example, a $2,500.00 fee to an attorney would result in a 10% administrative fee of $150.00 (e.g. $2,500.00 - $1,000.00 = $1,500.00 x 10%)