When a general practice lawyer refers a personal injury client to an injury lawyer, everyone is happy with thoughts of a big pay-day for all involved. But there’s one little thing you, as the general practitioner, can do to avoid getting ripped off by the injury lawyer. It’s a little detail, but it is the most important thing you can do to avoid getting cheated out of your referral fee.

Before you refer your client to the injury lawyer, you must explain to the injury lawyer that you expect a referral fee at the end of the case and the referral of the client must be acknowledged in a writing signed by the injury lawyer. Until the injury lawyer signs an acknowledgment of the referral that specifies the division of the legal fee, you should not even disclose the client’s name.

But what usually happens? You guessed it. You referring lawyer assumes the injury lawyer will honor his rights to a referral fee and there is no written acknowledgment of the referral signed by the injury lawyer. Big mistake! Most injury lawyers hope the referring lawyer forgets about the case.

When the big day comes that the case is resolved, the injury lawyer will claim ignorance of the referral. What, you don’t think this will happen to you? Guess again. It happens all the time. The fight between the referring attorney and the injury lawyer is a constant source of litigation.

And who do you think wins in the courtroom battles over legal fees? In the absence of a written acknowledgement of the referral that specifies the division of the legal fee, the injury lawyer wins every time. You are your own worst enemy when you fail to confirm referrals of clients to injury lawyers.

If you have questions about referral fees and how you can make money from referrals, I welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can send me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com . You are always welcome to request a FREE copy of my book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, by sending me an e-mail.