How is it that people have such a hard time to understand the difference between a referral and a recommendation. A recommendation implies a suggestion to do something, in this case to hire another lawyer. Laywers can't really do this because it may implicate ethical problems and potentially liability issues.
If a lawyer refers a collegue to a potential client, he says "here's an attorney I know, who maybe can help you with your situation. Talk to him."
And that's what Nick consistently said for over 2,5 years now. There's nothing fishy I can see here. I also can't remember Nick ever litteraly saying "I didn't recommend Ty to Vic".
And just as disclaimer: I don't give a fuck if like or don't like Nick, but this shit is stupid. If you search something to label Nick "fishy" there're probably a lot better skeletons in his closet.