Illinois Supreme Court
Civil Court
Attorney's Fees
Breach of contract action filed by one law firm against another after Defendant firm refused to honor fee-sharing provisions of the firms' joint client retainer agreements. Fee-sharing provisions in otherwise valid retainer agreements between clients and 2 separate law firms are not void and unenforceable if the primary service performed by 1 firm is the referral of the clients to the other but the agreements fail to specifically notify the clients that the lawyers in each firm have assumed joint financial responsibility for the representation. (FREEMAN, THOMAS, KILBRIDE, GARMAN, BURKE, and THEIS, concurring.)