Its not unethical in MO, actually. The rule states than non-attorneys may not recieve a referal fee. A non-attorney who becomes an attorney after referring a case, and has worked on the case throughout, gets the referal. Often, firms will give bonuses to the student while they are in school, like cruises, etc. I hate cruises. Also, the firm can hold the referral fee in trust for the student until they pass the bar. This is what is normally done in MO. Other attorneys, frankly, violate the rule flat out, and provide fees to all kinds of people. These case won't settle until I'm out of school already anyway.