NY Lawyers Have New Ad Laws
As a designer I know the importance of researching as much as you can about your client and their potential recepients of advertisements. Another area that is important to look into is what types of restrictions may be in place on how your client can advertise.
Perfect examples are the new laws going into effect on Febuary 1st that effect all New York state lawyers. I haven’t read through all the rules but I have read a few posts that summarize the changes. A good site that does so is Legal Ease Blog by Allison C. Shields. She talks about some of the specifics such as…
“Testimonials from clients regarding pending matters are prohibited;”
“Lawyers must also be sure to label all of their advertising “Attorney Advertising” on the first page (or home page of a website), and email advertising must contain the words, “Attorney Advertising” in the subject line.”
One statement she makes that is very important for lawyers and designers to remember is…
“Lawyers and law firms should take care to review all of their advertising and marketing materials, as the rule requires. Having an outside individual or firm create and disseminate the advertisement will not permit the lawyer to avoid responsibility for ensuring that the advertisement complies with the rules.”
The one statement that actually drew my attention to this whole matter was something I heard on the radio and found again in the article, N.Y. Courts Adopt Moderated Version of Lawyer Ad Rules by John Caher on Law.com…
“The presiding justices retained the ban on monikers, nicknames and mottoes — such as “heavy hitter” or “dream team” — that imply an ability to obtain results. But they loosened the filing requirements.”
I think if you live in New York you are well aware of the ads that this statement is referring to.
So as you can see it is important to do your research so that you can be on top of what you can and can not do within your design work. Obviously it is the responsibility of your client to be aware of the rules and regulations themselves but as a professional it sure can’t help to be aware of them yourself.
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