BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//Session events Calendar//IBA//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
VERSION:2.0
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260410T042421Z
DTSTART:20181008T161500Z
DTEND:20181008T173000Z
SUMMARY:Referral fees and alternative structures
DESCRIPTION:This the second session in the two-part series\, following th
 e first session titled “Referral fees across the globe”. The session wil
 l discuss the online delivery of legal services as a growing business mo
 del\, the ethical issues that arise and whether those issues can be over
 come to make it a viable alternative business structure.\n\nThe traditio
 nal model for the delivery of private legal services has been through th
 e law firm structure\, whether solo practitioner or thousand-plus member
  international firm. That is being challenged with the growth of online 
 entities\, owned wholly or part by non-lawyers\, that provide legal form
 s (interactive and otherwise)\, fixed-fee services and opportunities for
  the referral of clients to lawyers who register with such companies. Th
 ese are not limited to one jurisdiction. Ethical issues are raised with 
 regard to their business model: are they receiving legitimate ‘managemen
 t fees’ or are they nothing more than unethical referral fees? How do th
 ese companies handle conflicts of interest\, funds held in trust and con
 fidentiality? Several states in the United States have barred lawyers fr
 om participating in such entities where the company is paid\, remits the
  lawyers fee to the lawyer\, and either retains or is repaid a percentag
 e of the fee. This panel will explore this growing business\, associated
  ethical issues and the situation in different jurisdictions.
LOCATION:Session Room G\, Level -1
UID:310b8419-53d7-419d-9136-96eeffd5a671
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR