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Friday, April 30, 2004

Law - Restriction against testimonials from happy clients challenged

"Lawyer tackles state rules restricting ads," is the title of a story last week in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Some quotes:

Cincinnati - Bret Adams has won some huge paydays over the years for Ohio's biggest sports stars.

Now, the lawyer wants celebrity clients like former football standout Chris Spielman to appear in advertisements to talk about the money he's made for them. * * *

[But] State rules on legal ethics prohibit lawyers from lining up testimonials from satisfied customers.

In Ohio, any ads with clients touting an attorney's capabilities are banned as "misleading and self-laud- atory" under the disciplinary code. A lawyer can have his license lifted for violating the ban, which has been on the books for nearly a century. * * *

Adams, who also represents University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins and ESPN commentator George Karl, filed a federal lawsuit this month that aims to scrap the Ohio Supreme Court rules that govern content in ads sponsored by the state's 30,000 lawyers.

All seven justices have been named as defendants. So far, they have not responded to the suit.

Thanks to Carolyn Elefant's MyShingle.com for the link.

What about Indiana? See Rule 7.1 (Publicity and Advertising), and particularly subsection 7.1(d), of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, for a similar prohibition.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 30, 2004 08:41 AM
Posted to General Law Related