道德意见221
澳博app事务所聘用协议
An employment agreement allocating contingent fees on a percentage basis between a firm and a departing attorney who takes a firm client may be determined according to the amount of time the case was with the firm and the amount of time it was with the departing lawyer before the fee was realized. 它可能不包括限制澳博app发送通知客户他或她离开的通知的权利的条款, 如果客户主动与澳博app联系，也不要禁止讨论离职.
适用的规则
- 规则1.4(沟通)
- 规则5.6(a)(执业权限制)
- 规则7.1(关于澳博app服务的通讯)
调查
询问者询问澳博app事务所雇佣协议的几项条款是否恰当. 协议的第5段涉及澳博app事务所和澳博app之间的或有费用的分配，澳博app离开事务所，接受事务所客户. It provides a sliding chart whereby the fee will be divided between the departed attorney and the firm based on a combination of length of time the case was with the firm before the attorney left and length of time it is with the attorney before the fee is realized. 例如, 如果澳博app在离职前两年内被聘请，并且费用在澳博app离职后一年内实现, 律所有权获得澳博app费的75%. The lowest percentage taken by the firm is 55% for cases in which the firm was retained within one year of the attorney's departure and where the fee is not realized until two to three years after the departure date.
协议第3段涉及通知客户澳博app已经或即将离开律所. 根据这项规定, 本所同意在澳博app离职后不迟于3天内向离职澳博app的客户发送标准化信函.1 这封信给了客户一个选择，是继续留在事务所，还是跟着即将离职的澳博app走. 作为回报, 澳博app同意在公司收到客户的回复之前不与客户联系或讨论他/她的离开.
讨论
费用分摊
委员会的结论是，雇用协定第5款的费用规定并不违反《澳博app下载网》. 这项协议不同于委员会审议和拒绝的其他协议，因为它要求对已经为委托人进行的工作给予补偿. 拒绝通常基于DR 2-108(A)，即规则5的前身.6(a)，其中规定:
A lawyer shall not participate in offering or making: (a) A partnership or employment agreement that restricts the rights of a lawyer to practice after termination of the relationship....
意见65 rejected an agreement which required 40% of an attorney's net billings to any client of his former firm be paid to the firm for two years after termination. 委员会决定，这种“经济抑制因素”,虽然不是直接禁止代理, “然而，这是对澳博app执业权利的限制吗?,"违反DR 2-108(A). 该协议要求固定的百分比 未来按小时计费 试图“对即将离职的澳博app与其前律所的客户之间建立澳博app/客户关系设置障碍”.意见65. 另请参阅 Opinion 194 (disapproving reduction of payments otherwise due to withdrawing partner if that partner entered into a competing practice within one year of withdrawal).
相比之下, 本次调查中所涉及的费用分摊协议要求对事务所已经完成的工作进行补偿. One purpose of predetermined fee-sharing with a departing lawyer is to avoid the unseemly bickering and the potential for litigation over clients and fees that can occur when a departing lawyer takes clients whose matters are being handled on a contingent fee basis. The agreement here applies only in contingent fee personal injury cases in which significant costs may be incurred by the firm near the beginning of the attorney-client relationship.2 费用 ultimately realized are divided on a percentage basis which varies according to the length of time the case was handled by the firm and the length of time it was handled separately by the departed lawyer.
委员会既不能批准也不能反对该公司所使用的具体百分比. 如果这些百分比代表了基于公司历史经验的总体公平的费用分配，则没有违反规则5.6(a). 另一方面，如果公司的份额过大, 这将产生限制离职澳博app在违反规则5终止关系后继续执业的权利的效果.6(a). 意见65. The determination whether the percentages are generally fair under the varying circumstances addressed by the employment agreement is a factual determination. 委员会不能作出事实调查结果.
总而言之, we conclude that in general a scheme for dividing contingent fees between a firm and a departing lawyer based on the length of time the case was with the firm and the length it was with the departed lawyer is ethically permissible. 但我们不确定我们面前的协议中使用的具体百分比.
公告
我们对第三段关于客户通知的规定得出了不同的结论.
This Committee has determined that direct personal solicitation of a firm's clients by a departing lawyer may be limited by agreement without running afoul of the predecessor to 规则5.6(a). 意见77. 意见书97, 其中包括类似的协议, the Committee stated that the right to mail announcements sufficiently protected the attorney's right to practice law and the client's ability to make an informed choice. "[I]如果保留发送公告的权利, 公司可以在道德上签订雇佣协议，限制员工在终止雇佣关系后的直接邀约.意见97(强调加).
虽然没有涉及到雇佣协议, 宾夕法尼亚州最高法院也做出了类似的判决. 那家法院颁布了一项禁令，禁止澳博app直接与原公司的客户联系. 禁令明确允许澳博app发出公告, 并强调了当事人选择澳博app的权利. 阿德勒，巴里什，丹尼尔斯，莱文 & Creskoff v. 爱普斯坦, 482 Pa. 416, 393 A.2d 1175 (1978). 看起来，澳博app至少保留了发送公告的权利. Id. at 1179; 另请参阅 规则7.1.
本协议, 然而, 规定公司将控制通知信的内容和时间, 客户会通过联系公司来回应这封信, 在客户对事务所的通知作出回应之前，澳博app不得与客户讨论他或她的离职事宜. 这就造成了一种情况，即事务所控制着与客户有关的所有沟通，这些沟通与客户是否继续代理有关.
当事人自由选择澳博app的权利的重要性已得到广泛认可. "An agreement restricting the right of partners or associates to practice after leaving a firm not only limits their professional autonomy but also limits the freedom of clients to choose a lawyer.规则五.评论[1]. The Committee has declined to approve efforts which "prevent or unduly hinder clients from obtaining legal representation from attorneys of their own choosing who may have formed new associations.意见181. 这与其他司法管辖区的意见一致. 看,e.g., Virginia 酒吧 Opinion 1232 (lawyer may do nothing that restricts the client's right to counsel of his or her choice); Illinois 酒吧 Opinion 86-16 (law firm may not restrict a client's right to choose his own legal representation, (一般情况下或公司与离职合伙人之间).
我们的意见保障了客户在继续代理方面做出明智决定的能力. 完成了, 至少, 允许即将离职的澳博app发出公告，其中包含足以作出此类决定的信息. 尽管该公司辩称，公告实际上已经发出, 它对公告的控制意味着客户收到的信息可能对公司有利. 事实上, 律所发给客户的表格通知甚至没有告诉客户可以在哪里联系即将离职的澳博app. The client's decision on representation may well be affected by the attorney's unexplained failure to communicate regarding his or her departure combined with a lack of information with which the client can contact the lawyer. 因此, we conclude the firm's form notification letter is insufficient as a substitute for the departed lawyer's right to send announcements after the termination of employment.3
最后, we address the restrictions on the lawyer's right to speak with the client about the departure until after the client has responded to the notification letter. 我们之前已经确定了规则5.6(a)(其前身)允许公司在澳博app发起的情况下限制这种联系. 意见77; Opinion 97. 本协议不受此限制, 然而, 禁止对客户提出的询问作出真实答复. As such it has the same effect as the one rejected in Opinion 181: "[T]he Agreement appears to prevent a departed lawyer from responding to unsolicited questions about the possibility of representation from firm clients.... DR 2-108(A)明确谴责这类限制."4 另请参阅 规则1.4.
结论
总之, the Committee finds that an employment agreement allocating contingent fees between a firm and a departing lawyer may be on a percentage basis determined according to the amount of time the case was with each. 事务所不得限制澳博app发出通知通知客户其离职的权利, 如果客户主动与澳博app讨论终止合同，也不禁止讨论.
调查没有. 90-12-47
通过:1991年10月15日
1. 协议规定，如果澳博app提出要求，信件可以提前寄出, 尽管这仍由公司自行决定.
2. 规则1.第8(d)条允许澳博app预付诉讼费用，即使客户最终不承担诉讼费用.
3. 我们先前的意见尚未作出决定, 我们不能在这里做决定, 澳博app事务所是否有道德义务在澳博app即将离职前通知其客户. 我们注意到, 然而, that there may be situations in which notice of an impending departure is required to safeguard the client's right to make informed decisions with regard to his or her representation. 在这种情况下, 禁止即将离职的澳博app在离职前联系的律所本身可能也有义务通知其客户即将离职.
4. 该协议禁止澳博app采取任何可能“以任何方式干扰公司业务”的行动.这显然会阻止发送新的练习公告.
