The Wisdom of Ferris Bueller. The reality of Machiavelli.

Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Ferris Bueller

Back in December 2015, during my Ethics Roadshow I talked a little bit about one of the items that had been rolled out for public comment by the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services, model regulatory objectives that might be used by jurisdictions to examine both how they regulate lawyers and how they might go about regulating others who provide legal services.  The discussion I had about this topic with audiences was way too disjointed at the time. (It is a topic that itself could have had an hour’s worth of dedicated discussion, but it was just one of many topics covered during the three hours of my presentation repeated across several cities in Tennessee.)  Earlier this week, a version of those regulatory objectives was adopted by the ABA House of Delegates after heated arguments and over significant opposition.  The ABA is now hawking Resolution 105 as a way to move the needle forward in an effort to ensure that those who provide legal services to consumers but are not lawyers are appropriately regulated.  Time will tell whether that effort will gain traction.

It was slightly less than a month ago that the news started to roll out about the planned launch of Avvo Legal Services and I wrote about it here. At the time, it was being tested in five cities.  Presumably, such testing was positive (or the outcome of the testing never really mattered) because now the news comes along that Avvo Legal Services has officially launched in 18 states.  Which states?  Well you can go read the article at the link, or you can see the list at the end of this post.

I’ve always liked the Ferris Bueller and life does move pretty fast, but another quote somehow seems more appropriate in this moment, though it comes from someone much less lovable:

[F]or there is such a gap between how one lives and how one ought to live that anyone who abandons what is done for what ought to be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation. – Niccolo Machiavelli

Oh yeah, which states has Avvo Legal Services launched in and is looking to have lawyers participate:

• Arizona (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services except that a lawyer may: 1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service, which may include, in addition to any membership fee, a fee calculated as a percentage of legal fees earned by the lawyer to whom the service or organization has referred a matter, provided that any such percentage fee shall not exceed ten percent, and shall be used only to help defray the reasonable operating expenses of the service or organization and to fund public service activities, including the delivery of pro bono legal services. The fees paid by a client referred by such service shall not exceed the total charges that the client would have paid had no such service been involved. A qualified lawyer referral service is a lawyer referral service that has been approved by an appropriate regulatory authority….”)
• California (Rule 1-600 (A) “A member shall not participate in a nongovernmental program, activity, or organization furnishing, recommending, or paying for legal services, which . . . allows any third person or organization to receive directly or indirectly any part of the consideration paid to the member except as permitted by these rules, or otherwise violates the State Bar Act or these rules.”)
• Colorado (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services except that a layer may (1) pay the reasonable costs of communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit lawyer referral service or legal service organization….”)
•  Florida (Rule 4-7.17(b) “A lawyer may not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may pay the reasonable cost of advertising permitted by these rules, may pay the usual charges of a lawyer referral service, lawyer directory or other legal service organization….”)
• Georgia (RPC 5.4(a)(5) “A lawyer or law firm shall not share legal fees with a nonlawyer, except that: . . . a lawyer may pay a referral fee to a bar-operated non-profit lawyer referral service where such fee is calculated as a percentage of legal fees earned by the lawyer to whom the service has referred a matter pursuant to Rule 7.3. Direct Contact with Prospective Clients.”)
• Illinois (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services except that a lawyer may (1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit lawyer referral service….”)
• Massachusetts (RPC 7.2(c) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may: (1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit lawyer referral service or legal service organization….”)
• Maryland (RPC 7.2(c) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may (1) pay the reasonable cost of advertising or written communication permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit lawyer referral service….”)
• Michigan (RPC 7.2(c) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may: Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct Last Updated 2/4/2015 (i) pay the reasonable cost of advertising or communication permitted by this rule; (ii) participate in, and pay the usual charges of, a not-for-profit lawyer referral service or other legal service organization that satisfies the requirements of Rule 6.3(b)….”)
• North Carolina (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services except that a lawyer may (1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit lawyer referral service that complies with Rule 7.2(d), or a prepaid or group legal services plan that complies with Rule 7.3(d)….”
• New Jersey (RPC 7.2(c) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that: (1) a lawyer may pay the reasonable cost of advertising or written communication permitted by this Rule; … (3) a lawyer may pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit lawyer referral service or other legal service organization.”)
• New York (RPC 7.2(a) “A lawyer shall not compensate or give anything of value to a person or organization to recommend or obtain employment by a client, or as a reward for having made a recommendation resulting in employment by a client, except that: . . . (2) a lawyer may pay the usual and reasonable fees or dues charged by a qualified legal assistance organization or referral fees to another lawyer as permitted by Rule 1.5(g).”)
• Ohio (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services except that a lawyer may pay any of the following: (1) the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this rule; (2) the usual charges of a legal service plan; (3) the usual charges for a nonprofit or lawyer referral service that complies with Rule XVI of the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio ….”)
• Pennsylvania (RPC 7.2(c) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may pay: … (2)  the usual charges of a lawyer referral service or other legal service organization….”) (RPC 7.7(b) “A ‘’lawyer referral service’’ is any person, group of persons, association, organization or entity that receives a fee or charge for referring or causing the direct or indirect referral of a potential client to a lawyer drawn from a specific group or panel of lawyers.”)
• Texas (Rule 7.03(b) “A lawyer shall not pay, give, or offer to pay or give anything of value to a person not licensed to practice law for soliciting prospective clients for, or referring clients or prospective clients to, any lawyer or firm, except that a lawyer may pay reasonable fees for advertising and public relations services rendered in accordance with this Rule and may pay the usual charges of a lawyer referral service that meets the requirements of Occupational Code Title 5, Subtitle B, Chapter 952.”)
• Virginia (7.3(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services except that a lawyer may:(1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule and Rule 7.1; (2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit qualified lawyer referral service ….”)
• Washington (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may (1) pay the reasonable cost of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit lawyer referral service….”)
• Wisconsin (RPC 7.2(b) “A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may: (1) pay the reasonable cost of advertisements or communications permitted by this rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service. A qualified lawyer referral service is a lawyer referral service that has been approved by an appropriate regulatory authority….”)