It is great when attorneys enter into mutually beneficial agreements. Sometimes a lawyer may decide that it is in the interests of the client if he or she passes the case to another attorney who has more expertise in the specific field. In this case, it is a requirement that you have a referral agreement or fee-splitting agreement with the referred attorney.

There are other requirements which the referring attorney must meet to collect a referral fee. For example, the client must be informed about the attorney’s intention to split the fee and consent to it. The fee must be reasonable and the work must be proportionate to the job performed.

This last matter is settled differently in different states. For example, Massachusetts, California, and Texas do not require that the work must be proportionate to the work the lawyer performed. This means that in these states lawyers can be paid referral fees even when they perform no job.

What Should a Referral Agreement Cover When you Refer a Case?

Your referral agreement must cover several points to comply with bar regulations. The following is a list of items to be included in the referral agreement.

• A confirmation that the client has been informed and has no obligation to accept the referral
• The reasons for referral
• Full and fair disclosure of the relationship between the referring lawyer and the one who gets the referral
• Full and fair disclosure of the referral fee, including how that fee is determined and under what circumstances it is payable
• Confirmation that the referral fee will not be paid unless the fee for the legal services is paid.

Does a Referral Service Agency Charge Fee? We Found One that Doesn’t!

It depends. Some referral services agencies charge money. Others, don’t. But in most cases, you will pay an attorney consultation fee.

If you want to get a free referral service, you should definitely try AppearMe – a mobile(App Store or Google Play) and web app where attorneys refer cases free of charge. AppearMe is a must have application if you face the problem of finding the right attorney. Most importantly, you pay not a dime when referring a case with this application. Your job will become super easy and fast. Attorneys commit to requests in literally minutes! You can communicate with the attorney absolutely free. Just submit a request and scroll and read the profiles of 5 more attorneys. Once you find the right attorney, talk to him/her on the phone or write an email. You can communicate via the platform as well.

We promise you will only benefit being AppearMe user because you can also request/accept court appearance jobs, deposition jobs and find court reporters. Case referrals, appearance jobs, court reporting jobs are in just in 100% automatic app!

Hurry up to register! It’s high time to be a tech-savvy lawyer. If you need more info, please read our help page. We found the best solution for you in the market. Simply sign up or contact AppearMe for details. Call us at (888) 900-3080 or send an email to [email protected]. We will be happy to support you in getting started.