The long-running dispute between the California Bar and LegalMatch.com over who can provide legal advice is over with a $225,000 payment to the state agency, documents the bar released Tuesday said.
The parties in August reached an agreement in the lawsuit the bar filed challenging the 21-year-old legal referral service. The settlement amount was paid and the bar on Oct. 13 filed for dismissal.
- The bar sought injunctive relief in its May 2020 complaint filed in the California Superior Court for San Francisco County. LegalMatch filed a cross complaint alleging constitutional claims.
- The complaints and cross complaints followed a November 2019 California Court of Appeal holding that LegalMatch operates as an unlicensed lawyer referral service in violation of the California Business & Professions Code Section 6155(a).
- LegalMatch was certified as a lawyer referral service effective Sept. 11, 2020, which effectively mooted the bar’s claim for injunctive relief.
- Aside from the $225,000 payment, the parties bore their own costs.
- Litigation Law Group represented LegalMatch, which also represented itself.
The case is State Bar of California v. LegalMatch.com, Cal. Super. Ct., No. CGC-20-584278, settlement released 10/25/22.
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