What Do I Have to Do to Earn a Referral Fee?

The only thing you have to do is refer the case to us and enter into a written fee agreement; your active participation in the case is not necessary to ethically earn a referral fee.

Unless you prefer otherwise, we will copy you on all pleadings and substantive correspondence. Upon request, we will invite you to attend all client meetings, depositions, and hearings, but your attendance is not required at any proceeding, including hearings and trial. we will update you by phone or email from time to time at your request.

Sometimes lawyers are surprised to know they can earn money by simply talking to a potential client, recognizing a potentially valid case and calling our office, but there is absolutely nothing unethical about earning a fee by referring a case. The ethics rules absolutely permit referral fees and we believe it is completely reasonable to pay such fees.

Why should you be able to earn a fee? Because over the years you have developed the trust of your client base – your clients have come to count on you for advice on a variety of issues, including personal and business legal matters. Even the people in your community who have not yet been your clients are aware of your reputation and have confidence in you, as best demonstrated by the fact that they reached out to you in a time of need. That trust and those years of service make it entirely appropriate for you to receive a referral fee for helping a client find the right lawyer to most effectively handle a serious personal injury or wrongful death claim.

Remember, the fee we charge does not mean your client pays more. We charge the exact same contingent fee percentage whether we pay a referral fee to another lawyer or not. Thus, it costs your client absolutely no extra money for you to ask us to work on the case. They will pay the same contingent fee they would have paid had they come directly to us rather than coming to you first.

In addition to a referral fee being ethically allowed in Tennessee, a referral is sometimes the most ethical way to proceed for a potential client. To the extent a lawyer (a) lacks litigation or trial experience generally or in the particular type of case presented; (b) does not have the resources to invest the necessary time and money in the case; and/or (c) cannot afford to take the risk of losing the case, many lawyers feel an ethical obligation to seek the help of additional counsel on the case. Our experience has been that the lawyers who refer cases to us do so primarily out of a desire to help their clients, family, and friends achieve a prompt and just resolution of their cases.

Fortunately, Tennessee legal ethics rules reward such conduct by allowing the referring lawyer to receive a portion of the contingent fee ultimately paid in such circumstances.

If you have additional questions or would like to discuss the referral of a case, please call John Day at 615-742-4880 or toll-free at 866.812.8787 or send him an email at referral@johndaylegal.com. For more information about our firm, see our website at www.johndaylegal.com.

Client Reviews

So let us start out with this - the few firms we contacted prior to John Days Office were not even willing to listen to the situation and circumstances surrounding the...

David H.

The Law Offices of John Day have been exceptional to work with on my case. I have worked primarily with Thomas Mihalezo and his para-legal, Natalie Primm, for the bulk of...

Deb D.

A year ago, I was involved in a car accident that was not my fault. The Law Office of John Day was referred to me by another attorney. Rachael Booker and Vada Newman were...

Jeffery B.

Other attorneys said my case was too difficult under Tennessee law. John Day's office had confidence and took the case. I received a significant settlement in ~ 6 months...

Jonny

From my initial call with Penny to my numerous communications with Rachel, the professionalism, efficiency, and compassionate way in which my case was handled was the...

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I love the law office of John Day. They treat you with respect, you feel like a family to them. They take time not only to listen to your case also they make you feel...

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I would give John Day Law ten stars if I could. They started working with me the very day they agreed to take my case and whether I was working with an attorney or one of...

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I definitely recommend the staff at The Law Offices of John Day! Not once did we have to call to inquire if they were working on our case. Alexandria and Natalie were...

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Everything was great. You guys are a great representative. I was satisfied with everything. Truly appreciate John Day and his hard-working staff.

Jamar Gibson

We thought that you did an excellent job in representing us in our lawsuit. We would recommend you to anyone.

Mitch Deese

The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. is, without a doubt, the best in Nashville! They treated me with the utmost respect and tended to my every need. No question went...

Anthony Santiago

I would definitely recommend to anyone to hire John Day's law firm because everyone was helpful, made everything clear and got the job done. I am satisfied with how my...

June Keomahavong

It's been a long battle but this firm has been very efficient and has done a remarkable job for me! I highly recommend them to anyone needing legal assistance. Everyone...

Linda Bush

I had a great experience with the Law Offices of John Day. The staff was very accommodating, and my phone calls/emails were always responded to in a timely manner. They...

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The office stuffs of John Day law firm made my injury case with State Farm stress free. They were very professional and respectful. My attorney was accessible anytime I...

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