Referrals are a standard apply inside the authorized occupation, and this column has beforehand mentioned how referrals can have advantages for both the referring attorney and the lawyer receiving the referral. If a lawyer is simply too busy with work, or they don’t have experience in a selected material, they might refer the matter to a different lawyer who can extra simply deal with the work. Nonetheless, not all referrals are created equal, and legal professionals ought to typically not refer work that can’t be monetized just because they don’t wish to take care of the matter themselves.
Shortly after starting my legislation apply, I acquired all types of referrals. A few of the referrals helped me broaden my apply and assisted me in constructing the monetary basis upon which I relied as a self-employed lawyer. Nonetheless, I additionally acquired numerous referrals that weren’t useful and took time away from higher referrals that would assist me broaden my agency.
For example, shortly after starting my very own legislation agency, a former colleague of mine requested me if I dealt with actual property issues, and I mentioned that I did. This lawyer then informed me that his household good friend had an actual property matter that he needs to debate with a lawyer. Once I talked to this particular person’s good friend, I came upon that the good friend was disputing round $500 in prices that his landlord had deducted from his deposit for alleged damages to his house. The good friend requested me for recommendation about whether or not the costs had been legally justified and whether or not to take authorized motion towards the owner.
I used to be pissed off by the opposite lawyer for referring this matter to me. Because the matter was solely price $500 in whole, there was nearly no method that I might monetize the matter. Nonetheless, I needed to be thoughtful to the one who had the authorized situation since I didn’t need this particular person to put in writing a damaging evaluate of me or have a nasty expertise with my apply. I ended up spending appreciable time on the telephone with this particular person and speaking by e-mail to ensure that this particular person had a strong grasp of his authorized rights with respect to his deposit.
It was apparent to me that this lawyer good friend of mine ought to have merely assisted the good friend himself and never handed this particular person alongside to me. The lawyer good friend might have simply looked for related info and assisted the particular person along with his authorized wants. This lawyer good friend of mine had a previous connection to this person who I didn’t have, so if anybody was going to help this particular person and not using a monetary incentive, it ought to be my lawyer good friend and never me. Nonetheless, the lawyer good friend used me as a “rubbish disposal” as a substitute of dealing with the matter himself, and I even suspect the lawyer thought he was doing me a favor by setting me up with the one who had authorized questions!
To make it completely clear, I’m not saying legal professionals ought to by no means provide recommendation totally free. Certainly, I’m typically beneficiant in terms of dealing with small issues with out cost to family and friends as a result of I’ve a connection to the folks I’m serving. Generally, dealing with duties totally free can result in further work, and I even keep in mind a time once I was in Biglaw through which we dealt with a matter totally free for the relative of a consumer in order that we’d get extra work.
Nonetheless, if a lawyer is approached by a good friend or relative with a authorized situation that possible can’t be monetized, they need to attempt to deal with the matter somewhat than refer it to another person. Earlier than legal professionals refer work to others, they need to take into consideration whether or not a matter will be monetized or whether or not it’s the kind of matter that they will deal with as a favor to a good friend or relative.
Jordan Rothman is a associate of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey legislation agency. He’s additionally the founding father of Student Debt Diaries, a web site discussing how he paid off his pupil loans. You may attain Jordan by means of e-mail at jordan@rothman.law.
