Also known as: attorney advertising · attorneys' advertising · attorneys advertising · lawyer advertising · legal advertising
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Commercial speech by attorneys that promotes legal services or fees. Truthful statements receive First Amendment protection against blanket prohibitions, while states may prohibit or require disclaimers for false, deceptive, or inherently misleading content.
Anita Ali published a newspaper notice stating her standard fee for an uncontested divorce. The state bar sought discipline under a total ban on lawyer price advertising. The court held the truthful notice protected and dismissed the charges.
Austin Abbott placed an ad correctly stating he was a licensed CPA and Certified Financial Planner. The bar attempted discipline solely for listing the designations. The court found the verifiable statements protected and barred the sanction.
Andrew Avery ran website testimonials highlighting only large verdicts without noting losses or settlements. The bar found the selective presentation inherently misleading. Discipline was upheld even though each quoted statement was literally accurate.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Antonio Alvarado used a drawing of a gavel beside the phrase "no recovery, no fee." The bar required an added disclaimer that clients might still owe costs. The court upheld the mandated disclosure as reasonably related to preventing deception.
Audrey Ashton advertised her certification by a national trial advocacy board. The bar claimed the designation was inherently misleading. The court protected the accurate statement absent evidence of actual deception.
Alan Ackerman mailed letters to recent accident victims offering representation. A state rule barred such mailings for thirty days after an incident. The court upheld the narrow time-limited restriction as advancing substantial interests in privacy and professional reputation.
Yes. Lawyers may communicate information about their services through any form of media, including banner ads, sponsored posts, and digital displays, provided the content is not false or misleading.
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A claim such as a 100 percent win rate is misleading if it omits settlements and losses that would alter the overall impression. The communication must not contain material misrepresentations or omissions that leave the public with a false understanding of outcomes.
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Yes. Every communication about legal services must clearly state the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content. Generic branding that requires multiple clicks to discover the responsible party violates the rule.
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Payment is permissible when it reimburses reasonable advertising costs, such as flat fees or standard pay-per-click rates. Additional compensation triggered by endorsement language or live reads that function as recommendations is prohibited.
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…(1992) (state regulation of airline advertising); Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Assn. , 436 U. S. 447 (1978) (state regulation of lawyer advertising). But a State may not prohibit only that commercial advertising that depicts men in a demeaning fashion. See, e. g. , Los Angeles Times, Aug. 8, 1989, section 4, p. 6, col. 1. Another…