Amendment would prohibit referrals from entities that also steer clients to nonlegal professionals.

At the direction of the Supreme Court, the Board of Governors has approved proposed language to the new "qualifying provider" rule.

A response to the expanding digital marketplace, the rule would prohibit a lawyer from accepting clients from "any entity that in addition to referring consumers for legal services also receives any benefit for referring consumers to any nonlegal professional work stemming from the same incident."

Despite a unanimous vote at a May 18 meeting in Key West, some board members expressed reservations with the Supreme Court's March directive that spurred the Bar to propose adding subdivision (d)(5) to Rule 4-7.22.

The Supreme Court must still approve the amendment.

Justices have twice asked the Bar to implement the rule changes, which grew out of recommendations from the Special Committee on Lawyer Referral Services. Justices were concerned that lawyers who participate in the networks would steer their clients to doctors or other professional service providers in the same networks.

The Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics voted 6-2 on March 22 to approve the proposed changes, and then voted unanimously May 17 to forward the proposal, with minor clarifications, to the full Board of Governors.

The committee's lack of unanimity reflected concerns many board members have with the court's ruling. Some board members side with a dissent by Justice Alan Lawson, who noted that the special committee's report lacked any evidence that clients had...

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