So it is critical that web designers hired to create a law firm's website, which most states consider a form of advertising, be informed of the land mines of
legal advertising ethics.
Not exact matches
North Carolina quickly put the kibosh on plans for
advertising legal services on Groupon, stating in a proposed
ethics opinion that the site's fee «is a percentage of the amount actually paid to the lawyer and appears to constitute revenue sharing with a nonlawyer.»
Lawyer
advertising and
legal ethics rules apply to online activities just as they do to offline activities.
On Friday, the Lawyerist blog pondered an interesting question: Can lawyers
advertise and sell
legal services on Groupon without violating
ethics rules?
In addition to working with clients on transactional and litigation - related entertainment,
advertising, and intellectual property matters, Frankfurt Kurnit has leading practices in commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, corporate and tax law, charitable organizations, trusts and estates, privacy and data security,
legal ethics, and real estate.
A pioneer in the marketing of
legal services, Jim has lectured at law schools on
ethics and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs to discuss personal injury law and lawyer
advertising.
To date, Avvo
Legal Services, which connects consumers to attorneys for a flat fee and takes a portion for
advertising, has been knocked by at least five state
ethics opinions saying that lawyers who engage with the platform are running afoul of rules regarding fee - sharing with nonlawyers and the unlicensed practice of law.
There was a fascinating panel at the ABA meeting this summer on
legal ethics in cyberspace, in which one panelist compared the
advertising of «cloud» sites (including Google) with their actual terms of service.
If you're in New York, Louisiana, Florida, or Connecticut, pay extra special attention to what your bar association has to say about
legal ethics and online
advertising.
The consensus by the speakers on the ABA's CLE was that your professional /
legal blog is your website, and a website is a form of
advertising under a state's
legal ethics rules.
Writing about the
legal ethics of attorney
advertising can be depressing.
Best Lawyers listed Rick Kurnit as a «Best Lawyer» in
advertising, copyright, trademark, intellectual property and media law; Candice Kersh in
advertising and media law; Jeffrey A. Greenbaum in
advertising law; Ronald Minkoff and Richard Maltz in
ethics and professional responsibility; It also listed Ronald Minkoff in commercial litigation and
legal malpractice; Brian Maas in white - collar criminal defense; and Barbara Shiers and Linda Wank its list of the top trusts and estates lawyers.
In addition to working with clients on transactional and litigation - related entertainment,
advertising, and intellectual property matters, Frankfurt Kurnit has equally strong practices in commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, privacy and data security, employment, corporate and tax law, charitable organizations, trusts and estates,
legal ethics, and real estate.
Panelists will provide guidance and insight on major aspects of starting a law firm, including practice management software,
advertising, client retention, billing and payment, and
legal ethics.
Rick Kurnit was also listed as a «Best Lawyer» in
advertising and media law; Candice Kersh in media law; Jeffrey A. Greenbaum in
advertising law; Ronald Minkoff and Richard Maltz in
ethics and professional responsibility; Best Lawyers also listed Ronald Minkoff in commercial litigation and
legal malpractice; and Linda Wank its list of the top trusts and estates lawyers.
But is all of use of blogging, social media and social networking
advertising so as to be commercial speech so as to be subject to
legal ethics rules?
I'd advise lawyers who are blogging and using other social media to abide by
legal ethics pertaining to
advertising or any other matter.
Legal ethics rules, as I understand the Bates decision, are a restriction on free speech that is allowed because the U.S. Supreme Court held that lawyer
advertising is commercial speech.