Did Opinion 183's permission to list 'J.D., LL.M. (in Taxation)' apply to professional announcements?

Short answer Yes. This opinion clarified that the last sentence of Opinion 183, allowing the degree language, was a reply to an inquiry about the distribution of announcements, and so is directed to announcements.

Bar

NJACPE

Issued

February 11, 1971

Apply this to your situation

This page answers the general question as of 1971. Ask about yours and see what the current New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct say for your facts, with citations.

How much weight this carries: The Supreme Court of New Jersey has held that the Advisory Committee's published opinions are binding on the ethics committees that decide grievances (R. 1:19-6), and that a lawyer who does not follow one "does so at his peril" (Higgins v. Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, 73 N.J. 123 (1977)). The Court can modify or vacate an opinion. 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

The Committee received an inquiry asking whether the last sentence of its Opinion 183 was directed to announcements. In Opinion 183 the Committee had advised that a lawyer may include the degree language "J.D., LL.M. (in Taxation)" in the announcement he sends to the local bar.

The Committee answered that Opinion 183 was written in answer to an inquiry relating to the distribution of announcements, and that its last sentence is intended to be a reply to that inquiry. In other words, the permission given in Opinion 183 is directed to professional announcements.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in February 1971, before New Jersey's September 13, 1971 adoption of the Disciplinary Rules (Code of Professional Responsibility), so the Committee was applying the Canons of Professional Ethics (Canon 46) as construed in Opinion 183. It also predates the 1984 Rules of Professional Conduct and all later revisions, and lawyer-advertising rules changed substantially after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977) and later cases. The announcement and field-of-practice questions it touches are now governed by RPC 7.1 and RPC 7.4. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance. Verify against current rules before relying on any specific rule or requirement mentioned here.

Common questions

Q: Was Opinion 183's degree-language permission about announcements?

A: Yes. The Committee confirmed that the last sentence of Opinion 183 was directed to announcements and was a reply to an inquiry about the distribution of announcements.

Q: Where is the underlying rule stated?

A: In Opinion 183, which permits the degree language "J.D., LL.M. (in Taxation)" in an announcement sent to the local bar under Canon 46.

Background and rules framework

This opinion is a short clarification of Opinion 183, confirming that its permission for degree language applies to professional announcements distributed to lawyers under Canon 46 of the Canons of Professional Ethics. In current New Jersey terms the analysis falls under RPC 7.1 and RPC 7.4.

Citations and references

Other opinions cited:

NJ ACPE Opinion 183, 93 N.J.L.J. 492 (1970)

Source

Full text (Justia mirror): https://law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/advisory-committee-on-professional-ethics/2004/acp197-1.html
Issuing authority: New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, via the NJ Courts Supreme Court Committees page

Original opinion text

Reproduced from a full-text mirror of the official opinion for research purposes. The linked official source controls.

94 N.J.L.J. 81, February 11, 1971

OPINION 197

Announcement to Lawyers Use of Degrees - J.D., LL.M. (In Taxation)

Inquiry has been received as to whether the last sentence of Opinion No. 183, 93 N.J.L.J., is directed to announcements.

Opinion No. 183 was written in answer to an inquiry relating to the distribution of announcements and the last sentence is intended to be a reply to such inquiry.

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