Grossman

A celebrated decision by Division Five of this court construed the Uniform Partnership Act (Corp. Code, § 15001 et seq.) as requiring that income generated by the winding up of a dissolved law firm’s unfinished business is—absent a contrary agreement—to be allocated to the former partners according to their respective interests in the defunct partnership. (Jewel v. Boxer (1984) 156 Cal.App.3d 171, 174, 176 [ 203 Cal.Rptr. 13 ].) This principle governs regardless of: (1) which former partner provides the postdissolution services in a given case even if a substitution of counsel and new compensation agreement are executed (id. at pp. 174, 178); (2) whether the dissolved firm was organized as a partnership or a professional corporation (Fox v. Abrams (1985) 163 Cal.App.3d 610, 614-617 [ 210 Cal.Rptr. 260 ]); or (3) the nature of the compensation agreement with the client (Rothman v. Dolin (1993) 20 Cal.App.4th 755, 757-759 [ 24 Cal.Rptr.2d 571 ]).

The question presented is the application of this principle to these undisputed facts: Attorney Alan Grossman agreed to represent a Mr. Janes in a personal injury action. After filing suit (Janes v. Antioch Building Materials…