Florida lawyer Shane Stafford arranged for Roy Blevins a Wes

Florida lawyer Shane Stafford arranged for Roy Blevins, a West Palm Beach police officer, to solicit personal injury cases for him. In an eighteen-month period, Blevins referred ten or eleven cases to Stafford, including three automobile accident cases he investigated as a police officer. Stafford gave 15 percent of his legal fees to Blevins, who received approximately $11,000 total. Is such a referral arrangement legal and ethical? [The Florida Bar v. Stafford, 542 So.2d 1321 (Fla. 1989).]

Solution

As it can be seen that Blevins is favoring Shane under an arrangement of 15%, it is quite obvious that Shane is not doing justice to his job by compromising the integrity of his job violating Integration Rule 11.02(3) (engaging in conduct contrary to honest, justice, or good morals); D.R. 2-103(C) (asking persons/organizations to recommend employment of himself); D.R. 3-102 (dividing legal fees with a non-lawyer); D.R. 1-102(A)(1) (violating a disciplinary rule); and D.R. 1-102(A)(6) (engaging in conduct that adversely reflects on fitness to practice law). Hence this arrangement is not legal.