TMCnet News
BRIEF: NC Bar Association holds talk-to-a-lawyer free dayRALEIGH, Feb 27, 2013 (The News & Observer (Raleigh - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- North Carolinians who want to consult a lawyer without paying a bill can talk to one by phone for free this Friday. About 500 lawyers, law students and paralegals will answer phones during the N.C. Bar Association's annual 4All Statewide Service Day. The association and TV stations across the state will operate seven call centers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; an eighth call center for Spanish speakers will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The association began holding free talk-to-a-lawyer events in 2008 and averages about 8,000 calls per day, said spokesman Russell Rawlings. If a caller feels he would like to meet with a lawyer to discuss a legal problem further, he will be encouraged to call a separate number for the association's legal referral service. Those answering the phones Friday are forbidden from using the event to drum up business, Rawlings said. "It is not at all a part of what the day is about," he said. "There is not a business relationship established." In the Triangle, the number to call Friday is 800-424-9725. The Spanish-language call center is at 855-455-4255. ___ (c)2013 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) Visit The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) at www.newsobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |