Could a lawyer pay a for-profit company to refer callers from its 800 number?

Plain-English summary

A lawyer proposed paying a for-profit company to refer clients who called the company's 800 number.

The opinion said participation in that program would violate Rule 4-7.2(c). It supplied no additional conditions or analysis in the published answer.

Currency note

This 1995 opinion predates Missouri's 2007 amendments to its Rules of Professional Conduct. An official reference note identifies July 1, 2007 amendments to Rules 4-1.9 and 4-1.10. Subsequent rule amendments or later opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context and verify current rules before relying on it.

Common questions

Q: Did the opinion permit the payment?

A: No. It found the proposed program violated Rule 4-7.2(c).

Q: What was the company's role?

A: It would receive calls to an 800 number and refer clients to the paying lawyer.

Background and rules framework

The opinion applied Missouri Rule 4-7.2(c) to a paid referral arrangement with a for-profit company. Its answer was limited to the program described in the question.

Citations and references

Rules of Professional Conduct:

• Missouri Rule 4-7.2(c)

See also

• Missouri Informal Op. 960035: Call referral service registration
• Missouri Informal Op. 970049: Unregistered referral fee

Source

• Landing page: https://mo-legal-ethics.org/informal-opinion/950210/

Original opinion text

Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.

QUESTION: Attorney would participate in a program in which Attorney would pay a certain amount to a for profit company that would refer to Attorney clients who call an 800 number. May Attorney participate in this program? ANSWER: Attorney´s participation in the program would violate Rule 4–7.2(c).