- Upwork Community
- /
- Community Discussions
- /
- New to Upwork
- /
- Upwork's Charges, Legal Fees and the Unlicens...
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Mark Topic as New
- Mark Topic as Read
- Float this Topic for Current User
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Printer Friendly Page
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Mark Topic as New
- Mark Topic as Read
- Float this Topic for Current User
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Printer Friendly Page
Upwork's Charges, Legal Fees and the Unlicensed Practice of Law
Apr 18, 2017 10:58:28 PM by Gregory L
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
Apr 19, 2017 08:18:06 AM by Mary W
I guess it depends on the definition of "fee sharing". I'm a paralegal who has done okay on Upwork but I am very careful to work only for attorneys.
To me, the Upwork fee is a cost of doing business, much like office rent, telephone charges and the like. But I understand your concerns and have never seen this addressed.
Perhaps some attorneys on here will speak to this.
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
Apr 19, 2017 01:01:53 PM by Reinier B
@Mary W wrote:I guess it depends on the definition of "fee sharing". I'm a paralegal who has done okay on Upwork but I am very careful to work only for attorneys.
To me, the Upwork fee is a cost of doing business, much like office rent, telephone charges and the like. But I understand your concerns and have never seen this addressed.
Perhaps some attorneys on here will speak to this.
I can see the OP's problem thanks to his clarification. And you are right Mary, I too would like to see the moderators or failing that, some other attorneys, comment on this even though the issue does not affect me.
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
Apr 19, 2017 08:27:37 AM by John K
Rene, I agree Upwork won't likely change its fee structure anytime soon but a fixed upfront fee would be an interesting alternative to the existing percentage fee system so if it's sufficiently high, perhaps management would consider it.
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
Apr 19, 2017 02:17:25 PM by Vladimir G
Hi Gregory,
Note that Upwork has several attorneys from many states that use the site to offer legal services to clients that they locate on the platform. With respect to service fees, you should keep in mind that freelancers collect 100% of the legal fees paid by clients, and then separately make a payment of service fees to Upwork for the use of Upwork and Upwork services. The purpose of the service fees is to compensate Upwork for the services Upwork provides to you, not to share the fees you receive from your clients. Services fees are a business expense equally applicable to all users, whether the services are for web development, translation, or legal services.
Of course, attorneys are ultimately responsible for complying with the rules in their state and we cannot advise you on how specific state rules apply to users. While we hope you use Upwork to find new clients, we understand that it may not meet the needs of all attorneys in all states.

- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
Feb 7, 2019 02:10:23 PM Edited Feb 7, 2019 02:12:20 PM by Paul J
I have confirmed with the Utah and Arizona bars that they would consider UpWork's practice to be unauthorized fee splitting for attorneys. It does not matter that the attorney collects the funds and then pays UpWork - what matters is that UpWork requires a percentage of the fee collected.
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
Apr 9, 2019 05:17:23 PM by Heather S
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Email to a Friend
- Report Inappropriate Content