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Bar News - November 4, 2005 Giving Back: For a Rewarding Evening, Sign Up for LawLine By: Beverly Rorick
Don Hebert LawLine is a once-a-month telephone service for the public. Volunteer attorneys staff the phones from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Both the caller and the attorney maintain their anonymity throughout the conversation. Caller referrals come from various sources—the courts, NHLA and LARC, the Web site, friends, librarians, social service agencies, the Attorney General’s office and others. Attorneys who have participated in LawLine are enthusiastic supporters of the program and often are instrumental in recruiting others for the service. (See LawLine Honor Roll) Most often the calls concern personal legal problems, but sometimes people will call to ask about the law in general. “The questions range from the mundane to the exotic,” said Hebert, “but what they all have in common is their importance to the caller, who has been waiting weeks to get his or her question answered by a lawyer. Sometimes the answer is easy and straightforward; other times the caller must be referred to the appropriate resource, such as the Lawyer Referral Service, for a more detailed analysis.” Sheila Dion, LawLine Coordinator for the Bar Association, schedules Lawline, assisted by Annette Eakin, LRS. Dion lines up law firms for most months. Usually the sessions are held at the firm’s office, but twice a year the Bar Center acts as host. However, at every session the Association provides the attorneys with dinner—whatever they would like to order in. “It’s kind of like a party,” Dion said, smiling. “For many callers, this may be the first personal contact they have ever had with an attorney. They appreciate the opportunity to ask a question while remaining anonymous and there’s a certain attraction in the anonymity for the lawyer, too, in that the best answer is the simplest and most direct, without all the caveats and qualifiers that we deal with every day,” said Hebert. “You need to be accurate, to be sure, but you certainly don’t need to worry that a misunderstanding will result in a malpractice claim.” If your firm is interested in hosting LawLine, please contact Dion at: sdion@nhbar.org or call her at 603/224-6942. You will be glad you did!
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