HOUSTON – A Harris County lawsuit alleging a Houston-area lawyer was owed part of a fee from a commercial dispute was recently disposed.
State district court records show that Andrew Raish filed a motion to nonsuit Walne Law, PLLC on Jan. 11.
Walne formerly employed Raish, who sued the firm late last year on allegations it violated a fee agreement, from August 2013 to July 2015.
Raish’s suit explained that both parties had an agreement in which Raish would receive 75 percent of the resulting fee if he did the work and 25 percent if other counsel performed services.
In 2014, Raish took on a commercial dispute for Charles Dresser, IV. The former later recommended the matter be handled by way of a joint venture with a larger law firm.
Raish’s complaint further states that Raish left Walne, but not without making sure his former firm would continue to apply the “Dresser Matter” after his departure.
Kelly Walne, Raish’s partner on the case, allegedly negotiated with his father, the practice’s namesake, to terminate its representation of Dresser.
According to Raish, the move prevented him from receiving his share of fees.
Walne formally responded to the plaintiff’s claims, asserting it voluntarily severed its attorney-client relationship with Dresser and has no monetary interest in the outcome of his 2016 federal lawsuit.
William A. Gage, Jr. and Andrew C. Wright of the law firm Buck Keenan LLP in Houston represented Raish while Susan J. Taylor of the Taylor Law Group, also in Houston, served as Walne’s counsel.
Harris County 11th District Court Case No. 2017-58913