fee-splitting

[ fee-split-ing ]

noun

1. the practice of dividing a fee for professional services between two professional persons, as between a referring doctor and a specialist, without the knowledge of the client.

Other Words From

• fee-splitter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fee-splitting¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Mr. Witkoff said he became incensed during the call when Mr. Goldberg suggested that Mr. Witkoff had known about the fee-splitting arrangement.

From New York Times

“In fact, if there was fee-splitting, he had an obligation to tell us.”

From New York Times

Law firms that practice law in name only spend tens of millions of dollars a year on television and radio ads and websites designed to draw in lung cancer and mesothelioma patients and then forward those leads on to trial lawyers, who give the referring attorneys a piece of the fees in exchange, despite ethics rules generally prohibiting fee-splitting unless lawyers do meaningful work on a case.

From Forbes

Why do most states ban fee-splitting?

From Forbes

Not only would such a practice cut down on client mobility, the court ruled, but it would clash with New York ethics rules prohibiting fee-splitting.

From Forbes