sharing – Pete's Take

by: Peter J. Gallagher (@pjsgallagher) (LinkedIn)

Under New Jersey law, lawyers can, in some instances, share fees with lawyers at a different firm to whom they refer a case. But what happens when Lawyer A refers a case to Lawyer B who then refers the case to Lawyer C? Can Lawyers A and B share in the recovery that Lawyer C achieves for the client? This was the question the Appellate Division faced in Weiner & Mazzei, P.C. v. The Sattiraju Law Firm, PC. The answer, in that case, was "no," but there are instances where this type of three-way sharing would be appropriate.

In Weiner & Mazzei, a lawyer was contacted by a family friend in need of advice on a possible workplace injury/change of employment case. The lawyer advised the family friend that he appeared to have a valid claim and referred the family friend to an attorney who specialized in that area of law. The first lawyer claimed that he told the family friend that the second lawyer would take the case on contingency and that the first lawyer would be paid a referral fee. The family friend denied ever being told about the referral fee.

After speaking with the first lawyer, however, the second lawyer also refused the case but agreed to refer it to defendant, a law firm with at least one certified civil trial attorney. The second lawyer had a standing referral agreement with defendant and defendant agreed to abide by the usual one-third referral fee contained in that agreement.

Defendant prosecuted the client's employment case and eventually reached a confidential settlement with the client's former employer. Plaintiffs — the first and second lawyers — sued, claiming they were jointly entitled to one-third of defendant's fee. Defendant moved for summary judgment, which was originally denied, but was later granted upon reconsideration. Plaintiffs appealed.

Continue reading “Refer(ral) Madness: Court Nixes Fee Sharing For Lawyer Who Referred Case To Lawyer Who Referred Case To Lawyer Who Handled Case” →

by: Katharine A. Muscalino

Under existing Board of Public Utilities Rules, developers seeking to build in undeveloped areas have been forced to bear the full cost of utility extension, while developers building in more developed, metropolitan areas, have enjoyed the benefit of sharing the expense of utility extension with existing ratepayers in the area. The rule was designed to encourage smart growth and reduce sprawl. The result was that developers in rural and less developed areas of New Jersey were facing massive, if not prohibitive, infrastructure expenses.

After getting an $8 million bill for utility extension for a 555 home development in Howell, one developer sued the BPU, challenging its authority to adopt such a rule, codifying disparate treatment of developers based on the existing development and infrastructure in a given area. The Appellate Division ultimately ruled that such a rule, treating development in some areas of the state differently than others at the developer’s expense, is beyond the state agency’s statutory authority.

In response to the Appellate Division’s opinion, the BPU has introduced a new rule, still in draft, that would allow developers to share the cost of utility extension over the entire ratepayer base. The new rule will make large-scale development in rural areas possible, and offers the possibility of utility service to both new and existing homeowners and businesses in these areas. The details of the new rule’s implementation will be discussed at the BPU’s meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 2011, including what portion of the extension costs should continue to borne by the developer and whether the developer should pay a deposit for the extension. Developers with plan to build in areas that are not served by existing infrastructure, or in rural areas may want to consider attending the meeting or contacting a BPU stakeholder to express support for the proposed rule. The meeting is expected to draw critics of the proposed rule who argue that it will lead to sprawl, compromise smart growth, and endanger scarce resources. To review a copy of the draft rule, click here.