May a lawyer use a mailing service's new-resident labels for advertising?

Short answer Based solely on the facts supplied, the opinion says participation did not appear to violate Missouri Supreme Court Rule 4. It warns that further information could change that result.

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MOLEC

Issued

1997

Apply this to your situation

This page answers the general question as of 1997. Ask about yours and see what the current Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct say for your facts, with citations.

How much weight this carries: Under Missouri Supreme Court Rule 5.30, formal opinions are binding; informal opinions are advisory. Source.

About this page: The plain-English summary, reader guidance, and Q&A below were written by Ezel based on the official ethics opinion. The original opinion (linked on this page) is the authoritative source for any reliance.

Plain-English summary

A mailing service offered the lawyer labels for new residents in the area. The lawyer asked whether those labels could be used for advertising.

The published answer says participation did not appear to violate Supreme Court Rule 4 based solely on the information supplied. It expressly says additional facts could lead to a different conclusion. The opinion does not describe a proposed mailing's contents or recipients beyond new residents.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 1997, before Missouri's 2007 revisions to the Rules of Professional Conduct. Subsequent rule amendments or later opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context and verify current rules before relying on it.

Common questions

Q: Did the opinion find an apparent violation in buying the labels?

A: No. Based only on the stated facts, it found no apparent Rule 4 violation.

Q: Did the answer approve any specific advertising copy or mailing method?

A: No. It says additional information could change the conclusion and gives no details on copy or distribution.

Background and rules framework

The answer references Missouri Supreme Court Rule 4 generally, without identifying a numbered professional-conduct rule or evaluating the content of a mailing.

Citations and references

Missouri Supreme Court Rules:

Rule 4, cited generally in the answer

Source

Landing page: https://mo-legal-ethics.org/informal-opinion/970176/
Rule revision reference: Missouri Informal Opinion 20030007

Original opinion text

Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.

QUESTION: Attorney received information from a mailing service. The service offers mailing labels of new residents in Attorney´s area. May Attorney use these labels for advertising? ANSWER: Based solely on the information Attorney has provided, it does not appear that Attorney would violate Supreme Court Rule 4 by participating in this program. However, any additional information could lead to a different conclusion.

What do the rules say today, for your facts?

This opinion is from 1997. Ezel checks the current Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct against your situation and cites the rules it relies on.

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