A Connecticut law firm is taking its former client's successor counsel to court over a disputed slice of a $717,500 personal injury settlement, arguing that its earlier legal work helped build the case that ultimately produced the payout.

Weber & Rubano LLC filed a lawsuit Tuesday against The Quinn Law Firm LLC in the New Haven Judicial District, seeking nearly $41,000 from the firm's share of the settlement. Weber & Rubano alleges that Quinn Law took over representation of the client, completed the motor vehicle injury case and then refused to compensate the original firm for work and expenses incurred before the transition.

The dispute turns on a familiar but potentially costly question in legal practice: When one law firm builds the foundation and another closes the deal, who gets paid for the work already done?

Weber & Rubano Says Its Work Built the Claim

According to the complaint, the underlying client hired Weber & Rubano in June 2023 after suffering injuries in a motor vehicle incident.

The firm says it immediately began developing the claim, conducting an investigation and obtaining and reviewing police reports and medical records. Attorneys also communicated with insurance companies, monitored the client's medical treatment, evaluated the case and took additional steps to move the claim toward resolution.

Those efforts came with out-of-pocket expenses, the firm said. Weber & Rubano alleges that it advanced nearly $5,900 in costs while representing the client.

Client Later Changed Attorneys

The relationship eventually ended when the client terminated Weber & Rubano's representation without cause, according to the complaint.

Quinn Law subsequently assumed the representation.

Weber & Rubano says it notified the successor firm that it was asserting a claim for the legal services and costs it had already provided. It also informed Quinn Law of its lien against any contingency fee ultimately earned by the legal team.

But when the underlying case eventually settled, the dispute over that fee intensified.

$717,500 Settlement Becomes the Center of the Fight

The personal injury case was resolved through an out-of-court settlement worth $717,500, with the client receiving that amount under the agreement.

Weber & Rubano estimates that Quinn Law received approximately $198,500 in attorney fees. The former counsel says that amount represents the maximum fee allowed under Connecticut General Statutes.

The lawsuit alleges that Quinn Law retained the entire fee despite receiving the benefit of Weber & Rubano's earlier work and financial expenditures.

The complaint characterizes that situation as an unjust enrichment, arguing that Quinn Law benefited from services performed by the former firm without paying for that benefit.

Former Firm Seeks $40,895

Weber & Rubano is pursuing two causes of action: unjust enrichment and quantum meruit, a legal theory allowing compensation for the reasonable value of services provided.

The firm is seeking $40,895, representing fees and costs it says arose from the underlying personal injury matter.

It is also seeking interest and costs associated with bringing the new lawsuit.

The legal fight effectively creates a second chapter to the original injury case. The client's settlement may have ended the underlying dispute, but the money generated by that resolution has now become the subject of another courtroom battle.

Firms Have Not Immediately Commented

Counsel for Weber & Rubano and a representative of The Quinn Law Firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Weber & Rubano is represented by attorneys Alex M. Guziak and Christopher Shea, who are members of the firm.

Attorney information for The Quinn Law Firm was not immediately available Wednesday.

The case now places the spotlight on how contingency fees should be divided when representation changes hands after substantial legal work has already been performed — turning a $718K personal injury settlement into the latest battleground over the value of legal services.