Referral fee rules · Connecticut
Referral fees in Connecticut
Conn. R. Prof. Conduct 1.5(e) (Practice Book) · Pure referral fee permitted
Connecticut deliberately omits the ABA requirement of proportional services or joint responsibility, so a lawyer may collect a pure referral fee. A division of fee between lawyers not in the same firm is permitted if the client is advised in writing of the compensation sharing agreement and of the participation of all lawyers involved and does not object, and the total fee is reasonable. Per CBA ethics opinions, the referring lawyer must still have an attorney-client relationship with the client (even if its scope is just the referral) and both fee-sharers must be lawyers.
What Connecticut requires
- • client advised in writing of the compensation sharing agreement and all lawyers' participation
- • client does not object
- • total fee reasonable
- • referring lawyer must have an attorney-client relationship with the client
Source: read the rule text
Educational summary, not legal advice. Rules change and several turn on the facts of the matter. Confirm against the current rule text and your own jurisdiction's version before agreeing to divide a fee. Remember that both the referring and receiving lawyer's rules can apply.
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Jurisdictions with a similar rule
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