My secretary/paralegal referred an excellent personal injury case to the firm and it was recently settled. I wish to reward her and pay her some of the fee sort of like a referral fee, or perhaps just a bonus. Can I do so?

The straightforward answer is no. Under Rule of Professional Conduct 5.4(a)(3), a lawyer cannot share legal fees with a nonlawyer. There is an exception under Subsection (a)(3), which states as follows, “A lawyer or law firm may include nonlawyer employees in a compensation or retirement plan, even though the plan is based in whole or in part on a profit-sharing arrangement.” See Rule of Professional Conduct 5.4(a)(3). Therefore, if the plan is set up as a compensation plan for retirement, there can be a sharing of legal fees.