On March 8, 2018, the Florida Supreme Court broadened the definition of lawyer referral services under rule 4-7.22 to include the compliance of non-attorney-owned directories and other online companies.
The approved amendment proposed by the Florida Bar establishes a regulatory scheme under which a lawyer is prohibited to participate in any referral service unless the service complies with rule 4-7.22. Therefore, directories, online matching services and group advertising programs are now forced to follow the bar rules if they want attorneys to accept their referral services.
The Florida Supreme Court rejected a stricter amendment proposed by the Florida Bar to preclude attorneys from accepting referrals from any service that is neither owned nor operated by a lawyer.
In its opinion, the Florida Supreme Court emphasizes that “all services that connect prospective clients to lawyers conform to the rules regulating the Florida Bar and operate in a manner consistent with the public interest.” To reach this purpose, the court has also requested the Florida Bar to submit additional amendments to rule 4-7.22 to prohibit client referrals to other professional services arising from the same accident or transaction.
Read the full opinion here.
