Every state sets its own rules for dividing a fee between lawyers who are not in the same firm, including a fee paid to the lawyer who referred the case. Each page below gives one state’s rules in the state’s own words, with pinpoint citations and links to the official text, the cases and ethics opinions that apply them, what it takes to refer a case out of or into that state, anything our research did not find, the date its sources were read, and the date it was checked against our research.
States
| State | Governing rule | Written client consent | Cap on the secondary lawyer’s share | Sources read; checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Rule 4-1.5(g), Rules Regulating The Florida Bar | Required unless the division is in proportion to services; required in every contingent-fee matter | 25% in contingent personal injury, wrongful death and property damage cases, unless two or more lawyers or firms accept substantially equal active participation and a court authorizes a larger division | Read October 2, 2026; checked October 27, 2026 |
We add a state when its research is finished and checked against the sources. Until a state is listed here, we have not published its rules.
How these pages are made
- Primary sources only. Every statement of law on a state page cites the state’s rule, statute, case or ethics opinion, and links to it. A page does not state anything its sources do not hold.
- Quoted, not paraphrased. The governing rule is quoted as the state prints it, with the place it is printed.
- Checked before it is published. Each page is checked line by line against Legal’s research before it goes live.
- Dated. Each page shows the date its sources were read and the date it was checked against our research. When a state’s rule changes, its page is updated and re-dated.
- Gaps named. Where our research did not find an authority, or did not check how later decisions treated one, the page says so.
Disclaimer
These pages summarize each state’s rules on dividing fees between lawyers, from the primary sources they cite, as of the dates shown. They are general information for lawyers, not legal advice, and reading them does not create an attorney-client relationship with Rose Law Firm, PLLC dba LegalFlare. Rules and the way courts and bar authorities read them change. Read the cited sources, and check with the state bar or your own counsel, before relying on anything here.