Rules regulating fee-sharing agreements. The California Rules of Professional Conduct regulate an attorney's sharing of fees with lawyers and nonlawyers.'" Inasmuch as petitioners call their firm a "legal clinic" rather than a "law office," their conduct is arguably prohibited under a strict reading of the rule. America First Legal (AFL) launched seven separate inquiries into Vice President Kamala Harris' roles in the California government from 1990 to 2017. A complete guide to California attorney referral fee rule - learn how to ethically split fees between attorneys. Law Clerk at Central District of California. The ethical rules that govern lawyers in the State of California are the California Rules of Professional Conduct (the "Rules"). Ethics rules derive mostly from three sources: (1) the State Bar Act (Bus. Many pass the bar exam in the state where they attended law school.