# Who pays whom on your wind-down team

> Your attorney gets no referral fee from us. What a shutdown service may be paid, what you are told in writing, and what to ask.

By Matt Burns, Vaultfish. Canonical: https://vaultfish.com/partners/wind-down/referral-terms  
Published: 2026-09-28  
Updated: 2026-10-14

Your attorney gets no referral fee from us. This page says why, who pays your attorney, what a shutdown service may be paid, and what to ask.

## Why your attorney gets no per-referral fee

A lawyer's duty runs to you. State ethics opinions often treat a vendor's payment for sending business their way as a conflict. You may need to give informed consent.

Records add to the problem. A closing company's archive may hold privileged material and employee personal information. A referral fee from us would be the hardest conflict to explain, so we pay none.

We never take fees from lawyers we recommend either. Both directions stay clean.

## Who pays your attorney

You hire your attorney to review any license, under their own engagement letter and rate, and you pay them. Vaultfish pays them nothing. We run the check and any buyer intro, and we tell you in writing how we are paid.

Your attorney may also send owners to us when their records look worth a check, and we send owners to them when they need dissolution or bankruptcy help. No money moves in either direction, and you are told in writing that the arrangement exists.

## What your attorney tells you

If your attorney reviews the license, their engagement letter covers it. If your attorney and Vaultfish refer owners to each other, you get a short written note like this one.

> "I know the people at vaultfish.com. We refer owners to each other. No money passes between us. vaultfish.com may be paid a referral fee by micro1, and no other company pays it one. You are free to use anyone else."

Their state's rules come first, and your attorney decides how to follow them.

## Shutdown services

A shutdown service handling your close may have a referral agreement with us, and may be paid if a deal closes.

Any fee comes from Vaultfish, out of our own referral fee. Ask them. The agreement is in writing before they introduce you, and they should tell you about it in writing.

Your shutdown service can send us your name through our [referral form](/refer), with your OK first.

## Assignees, trustees and other fiduciaries

If an assignee, trustee or other fiduciary is running the close, they owe duties to your creditors. A fee from us could clash with that duty, so they get no referral fee from us, the same as attorneys.

Your counsel, and the court if there is one, decide what fits.

## What stays out of every arrangement

- No fee for an intro alone.
- No files in the intro. Your team sends your name and a reason, and only with your informed consent. Vaultfish never receives your records.
- No pressure on you. You can stop at any step.

## How we make money

micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)

You pay nothing extra for the free data check or for an introduction. The optional managed readiness review is paid by you, scoped and quoted in writing before you pay.

## What to ask your wind-down team

- Will anyone pay you if I go ahead, and how much?
- Will you tell me about it in writing?
- Who reads the license before I sign?

## How to start

Run the free [data check](/business) first. If the result looks worth a call, [send Matt a note](/contact). Then compare the buyers side by side on the [buyer comparison](/buyers). We send any agreement to your wind-down team before the first intro.

## Questions owners ask

### How is my attorney paid if Vaultfish pays attorneys no referral fee?

You pay your attorney for any legal review of a license, under their own engagement letter. If your attorney and Vaultfish refer owners to each other, no money moves, and you are told in writing.

### Can my shutdown service send Vaultfish my name?

Yes, with your informed consent. A shutdown service can use the Vaultfish referral form or send your name directly, and Vaultfish sends you a written note either way.

### Will Vaultfish pay my attorney a fee in any state?

No. Vaultfish pays attorneys no per-referral fee in any state.

### Who sees my company records during a Vaultfish review?

Only the people you and your lawyer approve get access to your company records, and only after you agree. An introduction carries only your name and a reason.

### Can my attorney join my call with Matt?

Yes, with your OK. The call with Matt is free for you and for your attorney.

_Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one._