Firms jointly working, client-signed writingAZ
Arizona fee division
Arizona rewrote the usual rule. Two or more firms that are jointly working a matter may divide a fee if they tell you in writing how the fee and the work will be split, you sign that writing, the total is reasonable, and the split of responsibility is reasonable given that the whole case still has to get done.
Last checked Sep 4, 2026 · LawyerUnc editorial. Educational only, not legal advice.
- The rule
- Ariz. R. Prof. Cond. ER 1.5(e)
- What you sign
- Disclosure in writing of how the fee will be divided and how the firms will divide responsibility. The client consents in a writing signed by the client. Total fee reasonable. The division of responsibility among the firms must be reasonable in light of the need that the representation be completed.
- How the split is allowed
- This is not California. The current Arizona text is about firms jointly working a matter, with a signed client writing. It is not a silent finder's cut.
- Any cap on the referring share
- No Florida-style 25% cap. The total fee must be reasonable, and the split of responsibility must be reasonable.
- Who is not in the fee
- A nonlawyer does not take a percentage of the recovery. Hosting, ads, and software get a flat or metered bill. That is ABA Model Rule 5.4 in substance, and every state on this desk follows it.
For the lawyer on the other end
Do not quote old ABA 1.5(e) or Ethics Op. 04-02 as if they are the current text. Read ER 1.5(e) as it sits now.
Peterson v. Anderson, 155 Ariz. 108 (1987), is the old warning about paying a lawyer who is not licensed in Arizona and not admitted pro hac. Confirm whether it still governs your facts before you send a check across a state line.