Can a law firm advertise an open house celebrating the opening of new offices?
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This page answers the general question as of 1954. Ezel answers yours: whether it's allowed on your facts, under the current Texas Rules of Professional Conduct, with citations.
Plain-English summary
The inquiry asked whether a firm of attorneys could advertise an open house for the inspection of new offices.
The Committee unanimously concluded that it would be entirely proper for the firm to celebrate the opening of new offices by holding an open house for clients and friends. It separately concluded, also unanimously, that an advertisement of such an event would violate Canon 24, which prohibits solicitation of professional employment by advertisements (10-0).
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 1954, under the former Texas Canons of Ethics, which the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct replaced effective January 1, 1990. The advertising restrictions the opinion applies predate Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, 433 U.S. 350 (1977), which held that categorical bans on lawyer advertising violate the First Amendment, so the Canon 24 framework used here has since been substantially narrowed. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance. Verify against current rules before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or requirement mentioned here.
Common questions
Q: Could a firm hold an open house for its new offices?
A: Yes. The Committee held it would be entirely proper for a firm to celebrate the opening of new offices by holding an open house for clients and friends (10-0).
Q: Could the firm advertise the open house?
A: No. The Committee held that advertising the event would violate Canon 24's prohibition on solicitation of professional employment by advertisement (10-0).
Background and rules framework
The opinion interprets former Texas Canon 24, which prohibited solicitation of professional employment by advertisement, distinguishing a private event for clients and friends from a public advertisement of it. The modern analog is ABA Model Rule 7.1.
Citations and references
Rules of Professional Conduct:
- MR 7.1 (communications concerning a lawyer's services), as the modern analog
- Texas Canon 24 (advertising and solicitation)
See also
- TX Ethics Op. 133: Office-Location Sign and Window Lettering
- TX Ethics Op. 110: Contributor Credit Noting "Attorney"
- TX Ethics Op. 121: Postage-Meter Civic Slogans
Source
- Landing page: https://www.legalethicstexas.com/resources/opinions/opinion-102/
- Original PDF: https://tcle-web.s3.amazonaws.com/public/documents/Opinion_102.pdf
Original opinion text
Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.
QUESTION PRESENTED
Would it violate the Canons of Ethics for a firm of attorneys to advertise open house for the inspection of new offices?
18 Baylor L. Rev. 236 (1966)
SOLICITATION - OPENING NEW OFFICES
Though it would be entirely proper for a firm to celebrate the opening of new offices by holding an open house for their clients and friends, to advertise the event would be improper.
Canon 24.
The members of the committee are unanimously of the opinion that it would be entirely proper for a firm of attorneys to celebrate the opening of new offices by holding an open house for their clients and friends. However, the members of the committee are unanimously of the opinion that an advertisement of such an event would constitute a violation of Canon 24, which prohibits solicitation of professional employment by advertisements. ( 10-0 )
Tex. Comm. On Professional Ethics, Op. 102 (1954)
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