Does St. Louis have an alternative newspaper? Many a hungry young lawyer advertise in their back pages. Know anybody who ever had a dispute with a former employer? Ask them who their lawyer was. Know anybody who had to go up against a city, county or state agency? Ask them. Call your local county's free legal referral service. The first person (or 10) they refer you to may suck, but you'll learn what to ask and learn what you want to hear. Keep asking the ones that treat you like a you're a waste of their time if they can give you a referral. How about the local colleges? Call them and see if they have grad students doing free once-a-month counseling. See if any of the teachers or professors give referrals or if they will actually talk to you. Post a note on some bulletin board wherever the law professors have their offices. Ask the students for their opinions: they'll be frank with you about the school staff and about the firms that they're doing internships at, along with good skinny on other firms around town. Check out usenet for opinions - lob a softball and see who responds; i.e., "Anybody know a good lawyer in St. Louis specializing in unemployment?" It'll take minimum real legwork, but a lot of legwork on the phone and networking. It can be done - I did it.