Published November 4, 2026 | Version 1.2.0

Referral-fee and fee-splitting rules for lawyers, by state

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Probative Growth

Description

When lawyers in different firms may split a fee, and what a lawyer may pay for a referral, in the US states and DC it covers. Each record gives the state's fee-division rule (ABA Model Rule 1.5(e) or its equivalent: the proportion or joint-responsibility test, how the client must agree, whether each share is disclosed, any cap) and its rule on paying for recommendations (Model Rule 7.2(b) or its equivalent: referral-service charges, reciprocal referral agreements, nominal gifts), each quoted from the official rules text with the date read.

47 records (status: P 47). Canonical page: https://probativegrowth.com/resources/attorney-referral-fee-rules-by-state/. API: https://probativegrowth.com/data/v1/referral/index.json. Published by Probative Growth (probativegrowth.com), a marketing agency for US law firms; not a law firm. Not legal advice. This is a plain-English summary of each state's rules of professional conduct, kept for marketing planning, and rules change. Check the rule text, your state bar's ethics opinions and your own counsel before you agree a fee split or pay for a referral.

Notes

Version 1.2.0 (2026-11-04). Cite as: Probative Growth, Referral-fee and fee-splitting rules for lawyers, by state, 2026, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23934167. Not legal advice. Funding: none.

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