Online advertising by attorneys via pay-per-click* is an effective and most likely necessary means of reaching many of the prospective consumers of new normal legal services, as discussed in our previous post on "shouting."
But before jumping in, what is the regulatory environment? Simply put, is this allowed?
More than a few of our lawyer colleagues think so because they are already doing it. Googling "commercial litigation lawyer" returns a slew of attorney ads along the right side of the search results page, including, for example:
Supporting Bay Area Businesses
Call for Consultation: 510-709-5435
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
www.fletcherlp.com
So far so good, but most of us are going to want better information on the applicable regulations.
The answer is that pay-per-click online services are not prohibited and instead enjoy the same limited First Amendment protection of commercial speech that is afforded other forms of attorney advertising. However, the regulatory environment is far from settled, as discussed after the jump.Continue Reading Shouting Via Pay-Per-Click Advertising is OK