Q: Can a broker share a commission with an attorney when the attorney is a principal in the transaction? A: Yes. However, this is because the attorney is a principal to the transaction, not because he or she is an attorney. It is not a violation of TRELA or the Rules for a license holder to rebate a portion of a commission to a party in the transaction. If the rebate is to a party the license holder does not represent, the license holder must obtain the consent of the party the license holder represents. This must be done before making the payment. [Rule 535.147(d)]
This is an often confusing topic for many practitioners and attorneys. The answer is excellently laid out in this TREC article about attorneys and sharing commissions earned. There's no need to elaborate any further beyond what's described in the article.