How referrals and fees work

Reading this does not hire anyone

No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading, searching, or submitting the diagnostic. Nothing here is legal advice about your facts. Confidentiality and loyalty attach when you and a lawyer sign a written engagement, not before.

If we refer you, the split has to be in writing

When a fee is divided between lawyers who are not in the same firm, Florida, New York, and New Jersey all require, in substance: a reasonable total fee; either a split that matches the work or each lawyer taking joint responsibility; and your written agreement after you are told each lawyer's share.

That writing is on the intake as a checkbox, and it will appear again in the engagement with the lawyer who handles the file. A silent extra percentage is not how this works.

In a Florida personal-injury or wrongful-death file, a lawyer who refers the case and does not provide services or assume joint responsibility is generally limited to 25% of the total fee unless a court authorizes more. Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(D)(i). That 25% is a cap on the referring lawyer's slice of the fee. It is not the client's contingency percentage, and it is not a published take-home for this desk. We do not advertise a split as a selling point. The writing you sign has to name each lawyer and each share.

Is this lawyer advertising?

Yes, in the way state bars use that word. A lawyer's website is advertising. Florida Chapter 4-7, New York Rule 7.1, and New Jersey RPC 7.1–7.5 apply. We do not claim to be the best. We do not use "specialist" without a board certification. We do not promise a result. Historical verdicts are history, not a quote. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict future case outcomes.

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on a website. Confirm any lawyer on the official bar lookup.

Who is not in the fee

Hosting, email, and other vendors are paid a flat or metered bill. They do not take a percentage of a recovery. They are not a law firm and they are not a certified lawyer-referral service. A fee is divided, if at all, only between lawyers, in writing, with your agreement to each share.

How a file actually moves

1. You use the playbook (elements, time limits, mass claims) with no engagement formed.
2. If you ask, the packet is emailed here for a look. That look is still not a retainer.
3. If the facts do not pass screening, the file is not forced into a mass claim.
4. If the facts fit, we refer you to lawyers who handle that kind of case in the right courts.
5. You agree in writing to that lawyer and to any fee division, including each share, before anyone splits a dollar.
6. If it is not a contingency case, you get legal aid or a certified bar referral service, not a mill.