You have a case that needs a trial firm, and a client relationship you intend to keep. That is exactly how this referral practice is built. Fee divisions are honored under California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5.1, in writing, with your client's written consent, and you stay involved at whatever level you choose. The Vertanous Firm has recovered more than $60 Million for clients, including a $22.6 Million jury verdict tried over fourteen days against the City of Los Angeles.
Why Refer Here
Defense firms and carriers keep score. They know which plaintiff firms try cases and which fold at the mediation table, and they price files accordingly. When you refer a case here, that pricing works for your client, because the file is built for trial from the first week: liability proven with evidence, medicine documented by treating physicians, and future care priced through life-care planning before the demand goes out.
The record backs the model. The firm tried a dangerous condition of public property case fourteen days against the City of Los Angeles, a pedestrian struck on the head by a falling municipal light-pole cap, and the jury returned a $22.6 Million verdict. TopVerdict ranked it the No. 1 verdict in California for 2023 in its category. Defense counsel can look it up, and they do. The full record is on the results page, and the lawyer behind it is profiled at Tom Vertanous, Esq.
Geography should not decide whether your client gets a trial firm. The office is in Pasadena, the practice runs across Los Angeles County and California, and the logistics of a referral are deliberately simple: one call, one conflicts check, one written agreement.
A Referred Result
Referral relationships are proven by files, not promises. A catastrophic worksite injury at an amusement facility, Bravo, came to the firm from outside counsel. The matter settled for $2.75 Million, ranked by TopVerdict among the Top 100 Personal Injury Settlements in California for 2025, and the fee division was honored under Rule 1.5.1, exactly as agreed.
The legal battleground at the center of that case, the Privette doctrine, is dissected in our worksite injury article. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. But the way a firm treats one referred file is the way it will treat yours.
The Rule
California allows lawyers who are not in the same firm to divide a fee, and Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5.1 sets the terms: a written agreement between the lawyers to divide the fee; the client's written consent after full written disclosure that the fee will be divided, of the lawyers involved, and of the terms of the division; and a total fee that is not increased solely because of the division.
Three requirements, all in writing, all at the front end. That is how we run it: the referral agreement and the client disclosure go out at intake, not at distribution. Your fee is documented before we spend an hour on the file, and your client pays nothing more because two firms are involved. Referral relationships fall apart over paperwork that was never done. Ours is done first.
Have a file in mind? Run the conflicts check today.
Start a ReferralYour Role
Some referring attorneys want to co-counsel: appear in the case, take depositions, sit at counsel table. Some want a status update and a resolved file. Most land somewhere in between. All of it works here. You set the level of involvement at the start, and we honor it for the life of the case.
Two commitments run through every referral. First, your client and your file get the same care we give our own, which is the standard the firm was built on. Second, the client relationship you built stays yours. When the case resolves, your client remembers who made the right call. That is the whole model: your judgment gets the credit it earned.
Communication runs the same way. Updates arrive how you want them: a call at every milestone, a short written status at a set cadence, or copies of the significant filings as they go out. You will not learn about a development in your referred case from your client before you hear it from us.
What To Send
The docket is deliberately focused, and referrals fit it best when the case needs trial capability, medical depth, or public entity experience:
If the case is not for us, you get that answer on the first call, not after three weeks of silence. And clients are served in English, Armenian, and Farsi, which matters when your client's first language is not English.
The Process
(626) 888-2223 or tom@vertanouslaw.com. Tom answers his own phone, and lawyer-to-lawyer calls get a lawyer, not intake.
We run the conflicts check, review the basics, and give you a straight answer on whether we will take the case and why.
Written referral agreement between counsel, and the client's written consent after full written disclosure, per Rule 1.5.1. Done at intake.
Trial-ready from the first week, with updates to you at the cadence you choose and involvement at the level you choose.
When the case resolves, the fee division is honored exactly as the signed agreement provides.
One flag worth raising early: if a public entity may be involved, the government claim deadline under Government Code section 911.2 is six months. Send the case before the deadline problem, not after it.
Lawyer to lawyer: one call answers it.
Call (626) 888-2223If we don't win, you don't pay.
The consultation is free. The representation is on contingency. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fee.
Questions From Referring Counsel
Under California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5.1. The lawyers sign a written fee-division agreement, the client consents in writing after full written disclosure of the division, the lawyers involved, and the terms, and the total fee is not increased solely because of the division. We paper it correctly at intake, not at distribution.
No. Rule 1.5.1 requires that the total fee not be increased solely by reason of the division. Your client pays the same contingency fee either way; the division comes out of the attorney fee, not out of your client's pocket.
As involved as you choose. Some referring attorneys co-counsel through trial. Some want periodic updates and a resolved file. Most land in between. You set the level of involvement at the start, we honor it, and your client relationship stays yours.
Catastrophic injury, traumatic brain injury, dangerous condition of public property under Government Code section 835, wrongful death, premises liability and negligent security, civil sexual assault cases, and serious motor vehicle collisions. If a matter is not right for the firm, you will hear that on the first call.
Yes. The $2.75 Million Bravo settlement, a catastrophic worksite injury at an amusement facility, came from outside counsel, and the fee division was honored under Rule 1.5.1. TopVerdict ranked it among the Top 100 Personal Injury Settlements in California for 2025. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Quickly, and with a straight answer. Send the basics by phone or email, we run a conflicts check, and we tell you whether we will take the case and why. If a public entity may be involved, flag it immediately: the government claim deadline under Government Code section 911.2 is six months.
Call (626) 888-2223 or email tom@vertanouslaw.com. Tom answers his own phone. We run conflicts, evaluate the file, and send the written referral agreement and client disclosure so the fee division is documented under Rule 1.5.1 from day one.
Client Reviews
Ani A., Glendalevia Yelp"The guy who hit me had a low max coverage. I don't know what magic Vertanous Firm worked, but I got paid for my damages less than a year out from my accident, and was paid three times more than the policy limit."
Tony K., Burbankvia Yelp"Tom is the absolute best. He knows the law and he also knows medicine. One meeting with Tom and he was able to understand the medicine behind my condition and find the appropriate doctors."
Bobby S., Los Angelesvia Yelp"Tom is a straight shooter and he's whip-smart. He treated my case as though it were his own. He has a gift for compassion that sets him apart from other legal professionals."
Where We Work
From our office at 301 N. Lake Ave in Pasadena, we accept referred matters from attorneys across California and serve clients throughout the San Gabriel Valley and all of Los Angeles County, in English, Armenian, and Farsi.
Contact
Call, text, email, or send a brief message. We respond the same day. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
