Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services: Specific Rules Information About Legal Services Flashcards
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Rule 7.2(a) Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
(a) A lawyer may communicate information regarding the lawyer’s services through any media.
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Rule 7.2(b) Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
(b) A lawyer [shall not compensate, give or promise
anything of value to a person for recommending the
lawyer’s services except] that a lawyer may:
(1) [pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or
communications] permitted by this Rule;
(2) [pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a
not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service];
(3) pay for a law practice in accordance with Rule
1. 17;
(4) refer clients to another lawyer or a nonlawyer
professional pursuant to an agreement not otherwise
prohibited under these Rules that provides for the
other person to refer clients or customers to the
lawyer, if:
(i) [the reciprocal referral agreement is not
exclusive]; and
(ii) [the client is informed of the existence and
nature of the agreement];
and
(5) [give nominal gifts as an expression of appreciation] that are [neither intended nor reasonably expected to be a form of compensation for recommending a lawyer’s services.]
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Rule 7.2(c) Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
(c) A lawyer shall not state or imply that a lawyer is
certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless:
(1) the lawyer has been certified as a specialist by an
organization that has been approved by an appropriate
authority of the state or the District of Columbia or a
U.S. Territory or that has been accredited by the
American Bar Association;
and
(2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly
identified in the communication.
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Rule 7.2(d) Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
(d) Any communication made under this Rule must
include the name and contact information of at least one
lawyer or law firm responsible for its content.
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Comment 1 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
[1] This Rule [permits public dissemination of information concerning a lawyer’s or law firm’s name, address, email address, website, and telephone number; the kinds of services the lawyer will undertake; the basis on which the lawyer’s fees are determined, including prices for specific services and payment and credit arrangements; a lawyer’s foreign language ability; names of references and, with their consent, names of clients regularly represented]; and other information that might invite the attention of those seeking legal assistance.
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Comment 2 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[2] Except as permitted under paragraphs (b)(1)-(b)(5), lawyers are not permitted to pay others for recommending the lawyer’s services. A communication contains a recommendation if it endorses or vouches for a lawyer’s credentials, abilities, competence, character, or other professional qualities. Directory listings and group advertisements that list lawyers by practice area, without more, do not constitute impermissible “recommendations.”
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Comment 3 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[3] Paragraph (b)(1) allows a lawyer to pay for advertising and communications permitted by this Rule, including the costs of print directory listings, on-line directory listings, newspaper ads, television and radio airtime, domain-name registrations, sponsorship fees, Internet-based advertisements, and group advertising. A lawyer may compensate employees, agents and vendors who are engaged to provide marketing or client development services, such as publicists, public-relations personnel, business-development staff, television and radio station employees or spokespersons and website designers.
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Comment 4 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[4] Paragraph (b)(5) permits lawyers to give [nominal gifts] as an expression of appreciation to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services or referring a prospective client. [The gift may not be more than a token item as might be given for holidays, or other ordinary social hospitality. A gift is prohibited if offered or given in consideration of any promise, agreement or understanding that such a gift would be forthcoming or that referrals would be made or encouraged in the future.]
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Comment 5 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[5] A lawyer may pay others for generating client leads, such as Internet-based client leads, as long as the lead generator does not recommend the lawyer, any payment to the lead generator is consistent with Rules 1.5(e) (division of fees) and 5.4 (professional independence of the lawyer), and the lead generator’s communications are consistent with Rule 7.1 (communications concerning a lawyer’s services). To comply with Rule 7.1, a lawyer must not pay a lead generator that states, implies, or creates a reasonable impression that it is recommending the lawyer, is making the referral without payment from the lawyer, or has analyzed a person’s legal problems when determining which lawyer should receive the referral. See Comment [2] (definition of “recommendation”). See also Rule 5.3 (duties of lawyers and law firms with respect to the conduct of nonlawyers); Rule 8.4(a) (duty to avoid violating the Rules through the acts of another).
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Comment 6 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[6] A lawyer may pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service. A legal service plan is a prepaid or group legal service plan or a similar delivery system that assists people who seek to secure legal representation. A lawyer referral service, on the other hand, is any organization that holds itself out to the public as a lawyer referral service. Qualified referral services are consumer-oriented organizations that provide unbiased referrals to lawyers with appropriate experience in the subject matter of the representation and afford other client protections, such as complaint procedures or malpractice insurance requirements. Consequently, this Rule only permits a
lawyer to pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service. A qualified lawyer referral service is one that is approved by an appropriate regulatory authority as affording adequate protections for the public. See, e.g., the American Bar Association’s Model Supreme Court Rules Governing Lawyer Referral Services and Model Lawyer Referral and Information Service Quality Assurance Act.
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Comment 7 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[7] A lawyer who accepts assignments or referrals from a legal service plan or referrals from a lawyer referral service must act reasonably to assure that the activities of the plan or service are compatible with the lawyer’s professional obligations. Legal service plans and lawyer referral services may communicate with the public, but such communication must be in conformity with these Rules. Thus, advertising must not be false or misleading, as would be the case if the communications of a group advertising program or a group legal services plan would mislead the public to think that it was a lawyer referral service sponsored by a state agency or bar association.
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Comment 8 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[8] A lawyer also may agree to refer clients to another lawyer or a nonlawyer professional, in return for the undertaking of that person to refer clients or customers to the lawyer. Such reciprocal referral arrangements must not interfere with the lawyer’s professional judgment as to making referrals or as to providing substantive legal
services. See Rules 2.1 and 5.4(c). Except as provided in Rule 1.5(e), a lawyer who receives referrals from a lawyer or nonlawyer professional must not pay anything solely for the referral, but the lawyer does not violate paragraph (b) of this Rule by agreeing to refer clients to the other lawyer or nonlawyer professional, so long as the reciprocal referral agreement is not exclusive and the client is informed of the referral agreement. Conflicts of interest created by such arrangements are governed by Rule 1.7. Reciprocal referral agreements should not be of indefinite duration and should be reviewed periodically to determine whether they comply with these Rules. This Rule does not restrict referrals or divisions of revenues or net income among lawyers within firms comprised of multiple entities.
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Comment 9 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Communications about Fields of Practice
[9] Paragraph (c) of this Rule permits a lawyer to communicate that the lawyer does or does not practice in particular areas of law. A lawyer is generally permitted to state that the lawyer “concentrates in” or is a “specialist,” practices a “specialty,” or “specializes in” particular fields based on the lawyer’s experience, specialized training or education, but such communications are subject to the “false and misleading” standard applied in Rule 7.1 to communications concerning a lawyer’s services.
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Comment 10 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Communications about Fields of Practice
[10] The Patent and Trademark Office has a long- established policy of designating lawyers practicing before the Office. The designation of Admiralty practice also has a long historical tradition associated with maritime commerce and the federal courts. A lawyer’s communications about these practice areas are not prohibited by this Rule.
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Comment 11 Rule 7.2 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
Communications about Fields of Practice
[11] This Rule permits a lawyer to state that the lawyer is certified as a specialist in a field of law if such certification is granted by an organization approved by an appropriate authority of a state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. Territory or accredited by the American Bar Association or another organization, such as a state supreme court or a state bar association, that has been approved by the authority of the state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. Territory to accredit organizations that certify lawyers as specialists. Certification signifies that an objective entity has recognized an advanced degree of knowledge and experience in the specialty area greater than is suggested by general licensure to practice law. Certifying organizations may be expected to apply standards of experience, knowledge and proficiency to ensure that a lawyer’s recognition as a specialist is meaningful and reliable. To ensure that consumers can obtain access to useful information about an organization granting certification, the name of the certifying organization must be included in any communication regarding the certification.
