Taking a Case
When you agree to participate with VLP, a VLP staff person will contact you and discuss the various methods used in case referral. It is up to you to decide which is the most convenient for you. When considering the various options, please keep in mind that some cases are time sensitive and need prompt responses to a referral request.
1. FAX OR E-MAIL REFERRALS: Weekly, every two weeks or monthly (your choice), VLP will FAX or e-mail to you a brief description of four to six pending cases with case numbers for identification purposes. You can choose among the cases and call VLP or e-mail us to accept one of the listed cases.
2. AUTOMATIC REFERRALS: You may decide that you are willing to handle a certain type of case on a pre-agreed schedule. For example, you will do four chapter 7 bankruptcies annually. You will take a case every three months. VLP will package bankruptcy cases and send one to you automatically in January, April, July and October.
3. PRE-SCHEDULED REFERRALS: You tell us that you wish to take a case in June of every year. A VLP staff person will contact you, using whatever method you specify in June and offer you a choice of pending cases.
4. PERIODIC CONTACTS: If none of the approaches described above is convenient, VLP will call you periodically and offer you some choice of pending cases.
Once you agree to take a case, we confirm the referral in writing with you and the client. The client will then call and schedule an appointment with you. VLP will check in with both you and the client periodically during the course of the case to ensure that you actually made contact, that the matter is progressing satisfactorily and that you are getting any support you might need. At case closure VLP will send a form to you requesting basic information about the case disposition.