Did Opinion 183's permission to list 'J.D., LL.M. (in Taxation)' apply to professional announcements?
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This page answers the general question as of 1971. Ezel answers yours: whether it's allowed on your facts, under the current rules of professional conduct in your state, with citations.
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 Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance.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)
See also
- NJ ACPE Op. 183: Listing Degrees in a Professional Announcement
- NJ ACPE Op. 184: Announcing a "Securities Law and Corporate Practice" Department
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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