Attorney Referrals and Co-Counsel Agreements

At Karlin & Karlin, we are happy to work with other local attorneys when we believe that we are not the best suited legal team for a certain client. We want to facilitate the best environment for fellow attorneys and possible clients to thrive, so we are glad to participate in fee-sharing arrangements with referring attorneys or co-counsel opportunities for specific practice areas.

Our firm prides itself on representing clients with experience and legal acumen. Our attorneys are dedicated to providing clients with excellent service in a wide arrange of practice areas to ensure that their case is justly presented before the courts. The skillset our team has developed over our many cases has not only made our attorneys effective litigators, counselors, and negotiators, but our team has established its commitment to justice in a wide array of legal matters.

In an effort to continue to provide valued care to our clients and beyond, we have briefly summarized the approach Karlin & Karlin has to referrals and co-counsel agreements. We also explain what our approach means for clients and attorneys who are interested in working with our team at various points throughout the legal process.

Attorney Referrals

One of the first questions our attorneys ask themselves after a call from a potential client is ‘how can we best serve this person?’ While we utilize many local resources and members of our dedicated team, the reality is that we do not always have the necessary resources to help someone.

A person’s case may be too niche for our attorneys to aid them in the way we think they should be represented. In instances like this, we often reach out to other attorneys or law firms who may be better suited to aid a client in their case.

Tandemly, we also accept client referrals from fellow lawyers who may be placed in a similar situation. If you or your firm are not able to give a client the representation they need, whether due to locational constraints, investigative options, or simply because your caseload cannot handle another client, we could help.

Karlin & Karlin complies with all State Bar rules when entering into fee-sharing agreements with other lawyers. The State Bar of California authorizes lawyers to share fees on a case as long as the client agrees to the arrangement in writing. To that end, our goal is to have all referral agreements authorized in writing by the client in advance of a case’s resolution so there is never a misunderstanding about the sharing of fees at the end of the case.

Co-Counsel Agreements

In some cases, referring a client isn’t going to be the best way to approach a complicated case. In situations where a cut and dry referral is not best suited to the client’s needs, our firm could reach a co-counsel agreement in an effective way for clients and attorneys to reap mutual benefits.

Working with another lawyer or law firm can not only help an attorney properly represent the needs of their client, but it can also allow both firms an active role in a case. Some of the common reasons attorneys seek co-counsel agreements include:

• Access to larger investigative networks
• Assistance from attorneys with extensive experience in a particular practice area
• Increased expert witness capacities
• Opportunity to learn from other attorneys or law firms
• Wider protection to a client by teaming with experienced legal advocates

Like every case, each co-counsel agreement is unique to the situation and the client it pertains to. This means that collaborations between lawyers or law firms requires active participation from all of the parties involved to reach a favorable outcome. If you think that you or your client may benefit from working side by side with one of our experienced legal representatives, contact Karlin & Karlin today.

How to Reach Us

Our firm is ready to work with you or your client. For us to determine the best path forward, whether, through an attorney referral or a co-counsel agreement, it helps our team to have as much information as possible. Our decision is based not only on our experience and comfort level with a particular practice area, but it is also weighted by the circumstances of the case and other key details of the situation.

If you or your firm would be interested in working with our attorneys at Karlin & Karlin, simply call our offices to get started. Our friendly legal team will work with you to catalog a few pieces of basic information to then evaluate the case and determine if a referral or co-counsel agreement will be the best fit for the client, for you, and our team.