Opinion 1602

The Committee reviewed your inquiry regarding the ethical propriety of an attorney utilizing "National Connect", a worldwide for-profit business directory as a means of obtaining client referrals. In exchange for a fee of $2,500 the attorney would be one of five attorneys listed within a geographical area. This referral service would provide lawyer referrals from this list to the public. It was the Committee's opinion that such a service is prohibited under RPC 7.2(c).

RPC 7.2(c) indicates that the lawyer referral service or other legal service organization must be a not-for-profit organization. National Connect is a for-profit referral service. The procedure that National Connect uses for referrals is unlike a written telephone or legal directory where the customer has an election of attorneys. National Connect instead uses a call-in procedure in which the referral service recommends a specific attorney from an exclusive list. The service is recommending a lawyer's service in exchange for the lawyer paying something of value for the "recommendation". This is the type of organization that RPC 7.2(c) specifically prohibits.

Advisory Opinions are provided for the education of the Bar and reflect the opinion of the Committee on Professional Ethics (CPE) or its predecessors. Advisory Opinions are provided pursuant to the authorization granted by the Board of Governors, but are not individually approved by the Board and do not reflect the official position of the Bar association. Laws other than the Washington State Rules of Professional Conduct may apply to the inquiry. The Committee's answer does not include or opine about any other applicable law other than the meaning of the Rules of Professional Conduct.