Colorado State Bar

Abstract 96/97-17

Summary of Facts Provided

An attorney represents a personal injury client who wishes to sell a portion
of the proceeds of the client’s personal injury claim to a third party in
order to obtain living expenses from the third party pending resolution of
the claim. The attorney has been requested to acknowledge and agree to the
arrangement, and to pay over to the third party the amount of advances and a
percentage of the gross recovery upon final disposition of the claim, after
deducting attorneys’ fees, expenses of litigation, and hospital and medical
liens.

Issue and Conclusion

Does the attorney violate the Colorado Rules by consenting to an agreement
between the client and third party for advances of living expenses?
If the attorney has no financial interest in the arrangement with the third
party, the attorney is not prohibited from acknowledging and honoring the
agreement. Although the Colorado Rules do not prohibit the concept of the
proposed arrangement, any such agreement must be closely examined in order
to confirm that its terms and implementation will not violate individual
provisions of the Colorado Rules.

A number of possible effects of the Colorado Rules were considered and
determined not to prevent the agreement. Colorado Rule 1.8(e), while
prohibiting the attorney from advancing or guaranteeing financial assistance
to a client, does not apply to the proposed agreement if the attorney has no
financial interest in the agreement. Because Colorado Rule 5.4 requires
protection of the attorney’s professional independence against interference
from third parties, any proposed agreement must be reviewed in order to
confirm that this prohibition is not violated. Any limitation upon the
attorney’s professional independence or judgment under Colorado Rule 1.2,
any provision which could result in a breach of confidentiality prohibited
under Colorado Rule 1.6, or a conflict of interest prohibited under Colorado
Rule 1.7 should be expunged or the problem should be specifically discussed
with the client and the client’s consent should be obtained, if compliance
with the Colorado Rules can be attained through such consent. Examples of
provisions which would require particular scrutiny under the Colorado Rules
include a requirement to disclose information to the third party;
restrictions on the attorney’s ability to proceed independently on behalf of
the client in the event of a dispute with the third party or a negotiated
settlement of the litigation; restrictions on the client’s right freely to
change attorneys; and definitions of expenses which may be deducted prior to
computing the percentage due to the third party.

Because of the involvement of the attorney in the transaction, it may be
advisable to have the client consult with other counsel to satisfy the
spirit of Colorado Rule 1.8(a)(2).

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