Appellate Court of Illinois

Summary judgment for defendants in an action to recover fees under a fee-splitting agreement for a subsequent malpractice claim between two law firms is affirmed where: 1) defendants did not breach their fiduciary obligations of honesty, good faith and fair dealing arising out of a joint venture agreement since the agreement referred to splitting fees on the federal case referred to in the agreement and the agreement did not mention the malpractice suit; 2) the words "other" and "otherwise" in the agreement refers only to objects and persons enumerated; and 3) an oral joint venture fee-sharing agreement was invalid and unenforceable when it did not comply with the disclosure requirements of Rule 1.5(f).

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/29/2007
• Published 05/29/2007

Judges

Court

• Appellate Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Michael J. Polelle, (Michael J. Polelle, of counsel), John N. Hourihane (John N. Hourihane, of counsel), Chicago, for Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Freeman, Freeman & Salzman, P.C., Chicago, (Lee A. Freeman, Jr., of counsel), for Appellee.