How to Locate an Attorney

Updated by Fred Dingledy and Rachel Yount
February 2011

Introduction

This guide is intended to assist the patron who wants to find information about a specific attorney or who wants to locate an attorney who practices in a specific area of law or in a particular geographic area.

1. Martindale-Hubbell Online
2. Other Online Directories
3. Martindale-Hubbell--Print Version
4. Other Print Directories
5. Lawyer Referral Service
6. Legal Aid
7. Other Resources

At  www.martindale.com you can search for contact information for lawyers, law firms, in-house counsel, corporate legal departments, U.S. government attorneys, and U.S. law school faculty members. Martindale Hubbell provides access to over 1 million lawyers and law firms in more than 160 countries.

www.lawyers.com has contact information for over 1 million lawyers and law firms. You can search by name, location or practice area. www.findlaw.com, owned by the parent company of Westlaw, allows searching for attorneys by name, location, and legal issue.

Martindale-Hubbell, the most comprehensive listing of United States attorneys and a substantial listing of foreign attorneys who represent American companies and individuals overseas, is arranged by state and locality in numerous volumes. The pages devoted to each state are arranged alphabetically by city and by the name of the firm. At the beginning of each volume, there are blue pages listing attorneys alphabetically, followed by codes indicating college and law schools attended, date of admission, " peer rating", and address. When an individual is affiliated with a law firm, its name is given. If the firm has a more complete listing in the white pages, its name is given in brackets [ name ].

Other directories listing attorneys are available in the law library. For a complete listing, enter the following term search in LION, our online catalog:lawyers - united states - directories, or lawyers - virginia - directories

An example of a directory listing Virginia lawyers is:

Virginia's Legal Directory  (REF KF190 V52) - This covers both Virginia and West Virginia, listing attorneys by name for the entire state , listing law firms by name for the entire state, and listing attorneys by city and county in Virginia. Addresses and telephone numbers are provided.

707 E. Main St., Suite 1500
Richmond, VA 23219-2800
Tel.: (800) 552-7977

The Virginia Lawyer Referral Service is a service of the Virginia State Bar. The lawyer referral service provides referrals to an attorney who has indicated a particular interest in handling problems in the area of law requested by the individual requesting a referral. Participating attorneys have agreed to offer an initial 30-minute consultation for a fee of $35.00 or less. Prospective clients should ask the attorney directly about any fees before beginning a consultation.

http://www.valegalaid.org/va/index.cfm This site provides information about legal aid in Virginia. You can search for a nearby legal aid office by name or location. You can also call for legal aid information: 1-866-LEGALAID(1-866-534-5243).

How to Deal with Your Lawyer: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions (LAW SELF-HELP KF311 F69 2008)

Your Lawyer: A User's Guide (LAW SELF-HELP KF311 Z9F69 2006)