Ryder v. Farmland Mutual Insurance

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Six, J.:

This case involves a fee dispute between two law firms arising from the referral of a personal injury case. The controversy between the law firms concerns the division of a contingent fee, one-third of the recovery, resulting from a $2,500,000 settlement on behalf of the plaintiff, Donald Ryder. Ryder’s Kansas attorneys, Wallace, Saunders, Austin, Brown and Enochs, Chartered (Wallace, Saunders), who contend no referral fee is owing, filed a post-settlement motion to approve attorney fees and to resolve the dispute.

California lawyer Steven C.…