Lawyers for a Philadelphia securities litigation firm and a consulting company sparred Tuesday over who should suffer the losses when a payment arrangement between the two is alleged to be improper.

Arguing before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in SCF Consulting v. Barrack, Rodos & Bacine, a lawyer for SCF Consulting said his client should not be punished for a fee arrangement if the nonlawyer was unaware of the limitations set by Rule of Professional Conduct 5.4.