May a Connecticut lawyer accept a modest, voluntary bonus that a grateful client sends after paying the legal bill in full?
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This page answers the general question as of 2011. Ask about yours and see what the current Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct say for your facts, with citations.
Plain-English summary
A client paid the lawyer's bill in full and separately sent a modest bonus with a note of gratitude for the result. The Committee was asked to assume that the bonus represented a modest percentage of the legal fees and was voluntary, unexpected, and unsolicited.
Rule 1.5 requires reasonable legal fees. The Committee distinguished a totally voluntary, unsolicited bonus intentionally paid in appreciation for the lawyer's work from the legal fee regulated by that rule.
On the limited assumed facts, the Committee found nothing in the Rules prohibiting acceptance of the bonus.
In practice
Under this opinion, the conclusion is confined to a modest payment initiated by the client after full payment of the bill, without solicitation or expectation by the lawyer.
Common questions
Q: May the lawyer accept the described bonus?
A: Yes. The Committee found no prohibition on the limited assumed facts.
Q: What facts were essential to the conclusion?
A: The bonus was modest, entirely voluntary, unexpected, unsolicited, and paid separately after the legal bill was satisfied.
Q: Does the opinion authorize a lawyer to request a bonus?
A: No. The opinion addresses only an unsolicited payment and does not analyze a requested or expected bonus.
Background and rules framework
Rule 1.5 requires legal fees to be reasonable. The Committee concluded that the described voluntary, unsolicited bonus was not regulated as a legal fee on the assumed facts.
Citations and references
Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct:
- Rule 1.5
See also
- CT Informal Op. 18-05: Nominal referral thank-you gift
- ABA Formal Op. 505: Fees paid in advance
- LSBA Op. 21-RPCC-022: Percentage estate fees
Source
- Landing page: Connecticut Bar Association Informal Ethics Opinions
- Original PDF: Informal Opinion 11-02
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