Does a lawyer's website advertising qualifications and experience have to comply with the lawyer advertising rules?
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This page answers the general question as of 2000. 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 inquiry concerned a lawyer posting qualifications and representative experience on a website. The committee concluded that the contents of a website posted by a lawyer or law firm must comply with RPC 7.1, and that the lawyer must maintain a copy of the website and the changes made to that site pursuant to RPC 7.2.
The committee referred the inquiring lawyer to Published Informal Opinion 97-1.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 2000, before the Washington State Bar Association's adoption of the 2006 revisions to the Rules of Professional Conduct. Subsequent rule amendments or later opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance. Verify against current rules before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or requirement mentioned here. Washington's lawyer-advertising rules (RPC 7.1 and 7.2), including the record-retention requirement, were revised in the 2006 revisions and in later amendments, so verify the current rule text before relying on it.
Common questions
Q: Does a law firm website have to follow the advertising rules?
A: Yes. The committee concluded that the contents of a website posted by a lawyer or law firm must comply with RPC 7.1.
Q: Does the lawyer have to keep a record of the website?
A: Yes. The committee said the lawyer must maintain a copy of the website and the changes made to that site, pursuant to RPC 7.2.
Background and rules framework
The opinion applied Washington RPC 7.1 (communications concerning a lawyer's services, MR 7.1) to the substance of a lawyer's website and RPC 7.2 (advertising, MR 7.2) to the requirement that the lawyer retain a copy of the website and its changes. It treated website content as advertising subject to the same truthfulness and record-keeping requirements as other lawyer advertising, and referred to Published Informal Opinion 97-1.
Citations and references
Rules of Professional Conduct:
- ABA Model Rule 7.1 (communications concerning a lawyer's services); Washington RPC 7.1
- ABA Model Rule 7.2 (advertising; record retention); Washington RPC 7.2
Other opinions cited:
- WSBA Published Informal Opinion 97-1
See also
- WA Ethics Op. 1892: Advertising Investigative Services
- WA Ethics Op. 1825: Advertising by Posting Fliers
- WA Ethics Op. 1877: Brochures at a Chiropractor
Source
- Landing page: https://ao.wsba.org/print.aspx?ID=1097
Original opinion text
Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.
Advisory Opinion: 1903
Year Issued: 2000
RPC(s): RPC 7.1; 7.2; Published Informal Opinion 97-1
Subject: Advertising; posting qualifications and experience on internet web site
The committee considered your inquiry concerning the posting of qualifications and representative experience on a Web site. The committee opined that the contents of a Web site posted by a lawyer or law firm must comply with RPC 7.1. The lawyer must maintain a copy of the Web site and changes made to that site pursuant to RPC 7.2. The committee refers the inquiring lawyer to Published Informal Opinion 97-1.
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