Attorney Verification Process
When an attorney enrolls as a premium member on Lawyer.com, we conduct an audit to assess their education, public records check, state bar standing & ID as well as insurance where applicable. The approval process is as follows.
Upon working a sales representative to select a membership plan that is appropriate for the attorney, we then request they provide education information and bar admission date. Our accounts team then verifies education information through studentclearinghouse.org. We check for undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees as well as JD. Internally, our accounts team will then verify license, bar admission and insurance information with the appropriate state bar association’s data to ensure that it is 1) accurate, 2) up to date and 3) still applicable. Per the ABA, prospective applicants are screened for: unlawful conduct • academic misconduct • making of false statements, including omissions • misconduct in employment • acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation • abuse of legal process • neglect of financial responsibilities • neglect of professional obligations • violation of an order of a court • evidence of mental or emotional instability • evidence of drug or alcohol dependency • denial of admission to the bar in another jurisdiction on character and fitness grounds • disciplinary action by a lawyer disciplinary agency or other professional disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction.
While some states require professional liability insurance (PLI) for lawyers, not all mandate it. In instances where PLI is required, the respective state will adjust the status of their membership where a failure to obtain PLI results in not active / not good standing status. As such, we rely on the state bar associations to determine whether or not a lawyer is up to date with their PLI - in some instances, it is confirmed outright on the state bar’s website while in others it is established by checking the standing with the bar. For example, in the state of NJ the certificate of insurance is verified on the NJ courts website. Alternatively, for the state of Oregon who mandates PLI, the lawyer’s status with the bar association will reflect whether or not there is an active PLI policy.
Our accounts team will then conduct a public records check via TruthFinder.com to ensure that all records produced thus far are accurate. TruthFinder.com will assess: court records, arrest and criminal records, as well as bankruptcies and liens. If the audit confirms the lawyer has provided accurate information pertaining to their education, their state bar status is in good standing and, in instances where appropriate, their professional liability insurance is up to date, we will verify and approve them on our platform.
