Gary W. Rich and Law Office of Gary W. Rich v. Joseph Simoni, etc.

LOUGHRY, Justice:

This case is before us on certified question from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and presents the issue of whether the West Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct (“Rules of Professional Conduct”) are statements of public policy with the equivalent legal force and effect as statutes enacted by the West Virginia Legislature. The underlying case involves the issue of whether a fee-sharing agreement between the individual petitioner, an attorney, and the respondent, a non-lawyer, is enforceable. Upon our consideration of this issue,…