Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 11 · column 1 of 8 · from the scan, no model involved
Consider a Russian ballerina swindled in a smalltown real estate fraud...A mother whose son was accused of murder...Employees of an industrial plant hospitalized following toxic chemical leaks...Investors victimized by a gold and silver scam...Angry consumers wanting restitution after purchasing faulty heat pumps...And a 92-year-old woman fleeing from New Jersey who wanted her lawyer to know she was okay and enjoying Virginia.
Staff at the Virginia Lawyer Referral Service (VLRS) claim they have fielded every possible request since the service began in 1977. The VLRS was set up by the Virginia State Bar (VSB) to match consumers with lawyers best suited to their legal needs.
According to N. Samuel Clifton. VSB Executive Director, the majority of callers request referrals for legal assistance in the areas of — family law such as adoption, paternity, guardianship, child support, divorce
— criminal law such as rape, robbery, drugs
— negligence such as personal injury suits
—estates, trusts and wills
—contract law
—real estate
—traffic offenses
Additional requests pertain to areas of bankruptcy, consumer fraud, legal and medical malpractice, landlord-tenant relations, social security, labor relations, civil rights, immigration, patents and coyprights.
Not all callers need to talk to lawyers. Lynn Klein, VLRS Program Coordinator, said often callers’ complaints are more appropriate for action by a service agency, a local legal aid society or the state attorney general’s office. For example, the consumers with faulty heat pumps filed a class action suit through the state attorney general's office.
This screening process makes the VLRS “one of the better referral services.” according to James Duner of the American Bar Association's Committee for Lawyer Referral Services.
“Another reason for its high marks is the significant proportion of state bar members who participate in the referral service,” Dunner said.
86.4%