posted by admin on May 24
I live in Michigan. my mother was in a car accident. after the accident i was talking to a friend of mine and said that i was looking for an attorney for my mom. he recommended attorney “smith”. we contacted attorney smith and he agreed to take my mother’s case. 2 days ago my friend called me from his friend’s father’s house.the father happens to be a retired bankruptcy attorney. in conversation my acquantance friend asks me what my mothers name is. i tell him her name is Dena. i then ask him why he wants to know. he tells me that he is entitled to a $100 referal fee for telling me about attorney ’smith’. this angered me and i said why would you bring this up 10 months later (my mother’s case is not even settled yet). my friend tells me that his friends father’mr. brown’is drawing up papers to get a referral fee. i’ve never even met mr. brown nor have i ever talked to him. yesterday my mom’s atty calls and said that mr. brown is seeking 1/3 of the attys cut.
May 24th, 2009 at 1:07 am
You are being scammed!!! If there were a referral fee, the lawyer would pay it, not you. If someone is trying to claim ANY of any award your mother might get, and your attorney is agreeing to it, run the other way and find a more reputable law firm. Your attorney should have told them to go to Hell in no uncertain terms, because what they are doing is not legal. They might be entitled to a referral fee from the attorney, but they have no claim to ANY of the damages your mother might get
Be sure you document EVERYTHING– these people sound like they make their living scamming and suing people, and it sounds like your attorney is in on the deal. Good Luck!!
May 24th, 2009 at 1:07 am
if you never spoke directly to your friend’s father then |I would be hard press to find any privity of contract between your friend’s father and your case
unless your friend is a lawyer, he can not give out legal advice or bind you to a legal agreement and he is the only person you spoke to how can he bind you to his father
call your state bar ethics and file a comliant with the etchics board over this let them sort it out
May 24th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Sounds suspicious. Just wait til Attorney Smith settles the case and if he says there was the fee, ouch. Don’t pay unless you are forced too.
May 24th, 2009 at 1:07 am
You don’t need a lawyer for this answer. Any knowledgeable person will do. You don’t owe any money to the supposed friend for his having given you a referral. Also, you don’t owe any money to Mr. Brown. It seems from your attorney’s phone call that Mr. Brown wants some of Mr. Smith’s money (if there turns out to be any money in the end). This is a problem between Brown and Smith. You may be called in as a witness if Brown is eventually so crazy as to sue Smith, but don’t you give any money to anyone, okay?