Ethics Opinions

Committee on Professional Ethics  Which are the rules for a discounted legal service offer? Topic: Marketing of legal services by use of a “deal of the day” or “group coupon” website Digest of the Committee: “Lawyer may market legal services on a ‘deal of the day’ or ‘group coupon’ website provided that the advertising is not misleading […]

Committee on Professional Ethics Topic: Links on a Lawyer’s Web site to Other Businesses Digest of the Committee: A lawyer may include links to other businesses on the lawyer’s web site provided neither the link nor the linked material involves misrepresentation or causes confusion. Rules: New York Rules of Professional Conduct 5.8(a), 7.1, 8.4 The full […]

Committee on Professional Ethics Topic: Attorney Advertisement; Solicitation of Clients; Profit Sharing Digest of the Committee: A lawyer or law firm may have a non-lawyer marketer who engages in only that advertising and solicitation in which the lawyer or law firm could engage. The lawyer or law firm may have a profit-sharing plan that pays […]

Committee on Professional Ethics Topic: Attorney Advertisement; Fictitious Law Firm Digest of the Committee: An attorney advertisement may include the portrayal of a fictitious law firm so long as it is not misleading as to the association of lawyers in the advertiser’s firm.  New York Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1(c) The full text is available at […]

Topic: Lawyers’ Use of Deal-of-the-Day or Group Coupon Marketing Programs Digest of the Committee: Opinion rules that a lawyer may advertise on a website that offers daily discounts to consumers where the website company’s compensation is a percentage of the amount paid to the lawyer if certain disclosures are made and certain conditions are satisfied. […]

Florida Bar Standing Committee on Advertising Topic: Attorney Advertising through Chat Rooms Digest of the Committee: An attorney may not solicit prospective clients through Internet chat rooms, defined as real time communications between computer users. Lawyers may respond to specific questions posed to them in chat rooms. Lawyers should be cautious not to inadvertently form […]

Topic: Use of Live Chat Support Service on Law Firm Website From the Opinion “Opinion provides guidelines for the use of live chat support services on law firm websites”. The full text can be found at: http://www.ncbar…

Committee on Professional Ethics Topic: Offering a Prize to Join Attorney’s Social Networking Sites Digest of the Committee: The Rules of Professional Conduct do not prohibit an attorney from offering a prize to join the attorney’s social network as long as the prize offer is not illegal, but if the primary purpose of the prize […]

Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas  Topic: “Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may the remaining lawyers in a law firm continue to use, in the name of their firm, the name of a lawyer who left the firm to practice independently from the firm and who has consented to […]

Committee on Professional Ethics Topic: Attorney Newsletters; Advertisement Digest of the Committee: Whether a publication by a lawyer or law firm is an ‘advertisement’ depends on its content, its intended purpose, and the targeted audience. With certain exceptions, if a publication is an advertisement, it must be labeled ‘Attorney Advertising,’ and if it makes certain […]