VII. INFORMATION ABOUT LEGAL SERVICES

A lawyer shall not accept or continue employment when the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that the person who seeks the lawyer’s services does so as a result of conduct prohibited by these rules.

Selection of a lawyer by a client often is a result of the advice and recommendation of third parties—relatives, friends, acquaintances, business associates and other lawyers. Although that method of referral is perfectly legitimate, the client is best served if the recommendation is disinterested and informed. All lawyers must guard against creating situations where referral from others is the consequence of some form of prohibited compensation or from some form of false or misleading communication, or by virtue of some other violation of these rules. This prohibition on accepting or continuing employment applies even if the lawyer whose services are involved had no direct or indirect involvement with the underlying violation of these Rules, provided that lawyer knows of the violation. See also Rule 7.03 (d), forbidding a lawyer to charge or collect a fee where the misconduct involves violations of Rule 7.03 (a), (b), or (c).