Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) allocates a portion of its projected budget for the payment of private attorneys in the northeast Missouri area under is Judicare component. Because the northeast Missouri area office in Hannibal, Missouri is responsible for a very large geographic area of 14 counties, Judicare attorneys are essential to provide legal representation throughout the coverage area. Under the Judicare model, a reimbursable rate is paid to each attorney up to an initial maximum of twenty hours. The first five hours spent on a case beyond the initial 20 hours are provided on a pro bono basis. If the case then requires more time than 25 hours to complete, the managing attorney of the Hannibal office must approve those additional hours.
The managing attorney and staff of the Hannibal office provide initial screening of potential clients and make an initial determination of whether the client and the case meet the financial eligibility, residency requirement, and case acceptance priorities of the program. Once it is determined that a case will be referred through Judicare, the staff consults with the Judicare attorney to determine potential conflicts and to determine if the Judicare attorney is available to accept the case. Once it is established that a Judicare attorney will consider the case, a written referral is sent to the client and the Judicare attorney. Within 15 business days of the date of referral, the Judicare attorney should arrange an interview of the applicant/client and return the Attorney Follow-Up Form that informs LSEM that the case has been accepted and provides a brief description of the services to be provided.
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