Wash State Bar Approves Attorney's Plan To Split Fees With Foreign Law Consultant

A recently released Washington bar's ethics committee concludes that lawyers in the state of Washington may accept referrals from foreign law consultants and hire them to provide translation and paralegal services to the referred clients. The division of legal fees between licensed Washington attorneys and foreign lawyers is not prohibited, but the committee cautioned that counsel must structure the arrangement in a way that does not facilitate the consultant's unauthorized practice, and that the lawyer cannot use the arrangement to get around the ban against paying for referrals. The Opinion (Washington State Bar Ass'n Rules of Professional Conduct Comm., Informal Op. 2201) is available here.