The rules governing legal advertising for Texas attorneys and law firms are scheduled for some significant changes in the coming months. This blog post provides a summary of the revised advertising rules to help legal professionals prepare.
Marketing legal services is both easier and more challenging today than perhaps at any time in history. Promoting your firm is now simpler than ever thanks to the many advances in technology, but standing out from the crowd may more difficult.
Some lawyers and law firms dismiss social media in terms of marketing, but it can be a difference maker if you know where to be online and what to do once you get there.
For more than 20 years, the State Bar of Texas advertising rules have governed lawyer advertising, including print and electronic ads, websites, brochures and practically any communication about a lawyer’s legal services that reaches the public. Despite two decades of regulation, Texas lawyers and law firms still have questions about exactly what is and isn’t allowed, and the potential impact for violations.
That lack of familiarity can lead to a firm or an individual lawyer having their ad, website, etc., labeled as “noncompliant” by the State Bar of Texas Advertising Review Department, which reviews lawyer advertising for violations under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. Those who fail to remedy noncompliant communications may be the subject of an official complaint filed with the Bar’s Chief Disciplinary Counsel.
Making sure your website is compliant with the State Bar of Texas ad rules is just one of the many responsibilities for Texas lawyers and law firms who are launching a new site or updating an existing site.
The Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct include many regulations that cover exactly what can and cannot be included on legal websites. Unfortunately, many sites are launched in a rush with no consideration for the implications of having a noncompliant site.
There are many approaches to making a law firm win stand out among the crowd, whether it’s successfully representing a client at trial, completing a significant deal, landing a high-profile lateral hire, or any of the other notable accomplishments that happen inside or outside a courtroom.
