MRPC 1.5(e) Does Not Require Referring Attorneys to Have an Attorney-Client Relationship to Earn Referral Fees, According to the Michigan Court of Appeals
When law firms enter into referral agreements, the client must be advised of & not object to the division of fees, but the client need not have an attorney-client relationship with the referring firm.
Disincentive for Personal Injury Attorneys to Handle Their Own Appeals
The COA prohibited a trial attorney from recovering additional fees for his work in Reed v Breton. In that case, the trial attorney had a one-third contingency fee agreement with the plaintiff, but the agreement excluded any appeals.