Attorney Advertising Rules You Should Know

How tricky are lawyer commercials?

While creating law commercials can be easy, staying within rules can be tricky. The law dictates that lawyer adverts should not contain misleading information. Besides, solicitation is prohibited.

Want to know lawyer advertising rules? We’ve prepared an information-rich write-up for you.

Legal Violations in Advertising

Digital marketing has become a primary way for lawyers to get new clients. But since many law firms are using it, competition is stiff. Besides, each law firm must be within the rules. Typically, no advert should contain false or misleading statements. This can ruin your reputation and, in the end, deter potential clients.

Respecting advertising rules is paramount regardless of the advertising channel because the rules apply equally. There are several legal violations in the area of law, which you may miss if you are not familiar with law firm rules. crucial things to consider when crafting lawyer commercials are:

Deceptive Statements

Deception or falsehood is a sign of dishonesty. Being dishonest is a sure way of minimizing client intake in any business. Whatever the circumstances, you should not give statements that hide the truth, misleads, or promote untrue ideas.

Such bold statements can be guaranteeing your client that you will win their case. Besides, if you make exaggerated claims such as “the best attorney,” when advertising could be misleading. You may think that your law firm is the best, but giving an unquantifiable statement could mislead potential clients. This is outright breaking the attorney advertising rules.

Paid Testimonials

A website is your digital business card as it shows your testimonials and skills – it is the social proof for your services. However, it is vital to follow the correct advertising rules within your state before posting testimonials on your website. The aba model rules note that lawyers should not pay anyone for recommending their services. That is to say, any client recommending your work should be on their accord.

Therefore, no law firm should pay any client in exchange for testimonials. Check for specific state rules about using testimonials in lawyer advertising campaigns or on your law firm website.

Direct Soliciting Of Your Services

Advertising legal services you offer is legal if you follow the set rules. However, soliciting your services is prohibited. Both solicitation and lawyer advertising is used to boost law firm business. Nonetheless, they mean different things:

·        Attorney advertising – communicating a law firm’s or lawyer’s services to the public and is done on the attorney or law firm’s behalf.

·        Attorney solicitation – an advert done by a law firm or lawyer targeting a specific group or person. This could be unethical according to the ABA Rule 7.3.

Note that you cannot use advertising communications to solicit your service.

Another’s Company Trademark

Each business requires a unique identity. Therefore, it is essential not to use another company’s trademark. However, it is vital to check what the different US states require in trade names. While the trade name identifies your law firm, a trademark identifies and distinguishes the sources of legal services.

Another Don’ts of Lawyer Marketing

Modern-day legal services consumers are becoming complicated, thanks to the internet. Ideally, they may not fall for superlative terms such as “the most” or “the best.” Clients would rather see what you offer than fall for marketing gimmicks. Your client’s success stories can be powerful in keeping you in business as they demonstrate your expertise.

It’s true; advertising remains one of the best ways to reach out to potential clients, especially in small law firm marketing. But that comes with professional responsibility. However, most law firms face disciplinary action for failing to adhere to the American bar rules and regulations.

Other violations you need to avoid are:

Unrealistic Expectations

Lawyers need to recognize the truth behind every situation, especially the difficulties involved in handling different cases. This reduces the occurrences of giving unrealistic expectations to potential clients.

While you might have helped one client win a considerable sum of money in a lawsuit, it may not apply to all your customers. Therefore, avoid writing bold statements that might make potential clients confident of winning a lawsuit just because you won a similar prior case. It isn’t very ethical to think that the same will apply to every client.

At the end of each lawyers commercials, you will always hear the statement,” results may vary.” This helps keep promises in check.

Biased Information

Biased information impacts decisions, including jury selection. By contrast, implicit bias influences each decision made, significantly impacting the defendant’s life.Therefore, lawyers should offer unbiased information to their clients. They should not show prejudice for or against a person or a group of people, in a way considered unfair.

The cost of biasness is beyond undermining the rights of individuals that the justice system is supposed to serve. Above all, the corrosive effect on the lawyer is profound. Any commercials that a law firm or lawyer runs must uphold the dignity of the justice system.

Proper Ways to Advertise Attorney

For any law firm to stay in business long enough, it must adhere to the ABAadvertising rules. Yes, there are compliance challenges, but serious lawyers would beat them by going through the twisted masses of law. Indeed, the scope is massive, especially for law firms operating in different states. Each state has a different approach to legal marketing and advertising. Nonetheless, here are some tips for successful advertising:

Offer Valuable Information

Offer your potential customers the information they need. Your web pages should contain accurate information about the legal services you offer and where your offices are located. Such information makes it easier for clients to decide about your law firm.

Have your website created by a professional web developer to have all the necessary pages.Having a blog on your website can allow you to add valuable information. If you offer relevant and free legal advice, undoubtedly, you will bring lots of people to your website.

Establish Trustworthy of Your Brand

A trustworthy brand is synonymous with a loyal and trusting customer base. For a law firm to succeed, you must build trust. This makes it easier to develop relationships and win new businesses. Perhaps one of the powerful tools is to create emotional relationships with clients – this stems from trust. The various ways of establishing a trustworthy brand include:

·        Being transparent

·        Offering  authentic and valuable information

·        Respond to criticism

·        Show your brand values and culture.

Be consistent with positive customer experiences and results. Deliver your promises and exceed client expectations.

Contact Marketing Agency

The right law firm marketing agency will help you implement and manage your marketing strategies to reach your goals. They achieve this through various tactics. For instance, they manage your marketing campaigns, monitor marketing, and advertising efforts, and use data collected to boost campaign results. Besides, they pinpoint strategies that drive maximum returns on investment.

If you lack time to market your business, contact a law firm marketing agency as it features a team of experienced professionals. These individuals are familiar with legal services advertising, so you don’t have to worry about violating rules. 

Conclusion

The marketing world is dynamic, and every law firm that wants to succeed must embrace the latest marketing tactics without breaking the rules. Digital communication is the fundamental way to reach potential clients; however, it must be up to date and comply with lawyer advertising rules. This makes it easier to create effective and ethical advertising; thus, attracting new clients and higher business success.