Ezel / Ethics Opinions / TX

Can a lawyer list his name, phone number, and address in the classified directory of a newspaper?

Short answer No. The Committee held unanimously (9-0) that inserting an attorney's name, phone number, and address in the classified directory of a newspaper violates Canon 24.
Bar
TX
Issued
1952
Source
View Original PDF

Apply this to your situation

This page answers the general question as of 1952. Ask about yours and see what the current Texas Rules of Professional Conduct say for your facts, with citations.

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 as a PDF) is the authoritative source for any reliance.
View original ethics opinion (PDF)

Plain-English summary

The inquiry asked whether it was ethical for a lawyer to place his name, phone number, and address in the classified directory of a newspaper.

The Committee was unanimous that inserting the name, phone number, and address in the classified directory of a newspaper violates Canon 24. The vote was 9-0.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 1952, under the former Texas Canons of Ethics, which the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct replaced effective January 1, 1990. The advertising restriction the opinion applies predates 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 framework used here has since been substantially narrowed; lawyer advertising is now addressed by ABA Model Rule 7.2. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance.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 lawyer list his contact details in a newspaper's classified directory?

A: No. The Committee held unanimously that such a listing violates Canon 24 (9-0).

Q: How does this compare with a newspaper "professional directory"?

A: In Opinion 52 the Committee allowed a "tax service" entry in a newspaper professional directory; here, a classified-directory listing was treated as improper under Canon 24.

Background and rules framework

The opinion interprets former Texas Canon 24 (solicitation), applied to a lawyer's listing in a newspaper classified directory. The modern analog is ABA Model Rule 7.2 (advertising).

Citations and references

Rules of Professional Conduct:

  • MR 7.2 (advertising), as the modern analog
  • Texas Canon 24 (solicitation)

See also

Source

Original opinion text

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

QUESTION PRESENTED

Is it ethical for a lawyer to place his name, phone number and address in the classified directory of a newspaper?

18 Baylor L. Rev. 218 (1966)

SOLICITATION - ADVERTISING - NEWSPAPERS
It is improper to insert the name, phone number, and address of an attorney in the classified directory of a newspaper.

Canon 24.

It is the unanimous opinion of the committee that the insertion of the name, phone number and address in the classified directory of a newspaper is in violation of Canon 24. (9-0)

Tex. Comm. On Professional Ethics, Op. 51 (1952)

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