Committee on Ethics
Topic: Lawyers’ Use of Deal-of-the-Day Marketing Programs
The Committee addressed whether a lawyer’s use of a third party company that brokers discounted services to online customers violates rule of professional conduct.
Where websites collect fees upfront and retains percentage of purchase price, arrangement it shall be considered as cost of advertising and not legal fee-splitting arrangement. Therefore, the practice is not per se prohibited as long as the lawyer takes in consideration the potential ethical concerns that may be implicated by such arrangements.
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