A professional matching service assists users to find a professional within a certain area of practice (AOP) and a specified geographic area. The service works with a database of professionals who subscribe to the service by selecting AOPs in which they want to be included. From a web page presenting organized links for the AOPs, a user clicks on an AOP link, which takes the user to a form to be completed with appropriate information for that AOP and the user's contact information. The user then initiates a search and is presented with a listing of subscribers near a zip code specified by the user and matching the AOP. The user can select subscribers to which the inquiry will be sent directly by email. The inquiry includes the user's contact information and inquiry details, allowing subscribers to decide whether to reply to the inquiry.