Proposed Ethics Opinion: Groupon = Fee Splitting
According to this piece in the ABA Journal, this week the Ethics Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association will be considering whether Groupon, the popular group-buying site that takes a % of revenue in exchange for sales, constitutes “fee splitting” when used by lawyers. An advanced peek at a staff opinion leaked to the NC Lawyers’ Weekly indicates that the committee will indeed hold that Groupon raises the issue of fee splitting.
Okay. Deep breath. Here’s the deal: NC Bar Association get over yourself. Attorneys and their their clients have been negotiating mutually beneficial arrangements for centuries including discounts, group-buying, barter, exchange and, last but not least, good old fashioned cash payments. I think they’ll be able to handle Groupon without your condescending rules on what is “in the client’s best interest.” Don’t you?
