Can a law firm use a trade-style name like '[Word] Law Group' that does not include any lawyer's name?

Plain-English summary

The inquirer asked whether using the name "[Noun] Law Group, PLLC" for a law firm violates RPC 7.1, 7.4, or 7.5(a). The committee concluded that, provided there is actually a group of lawyers in the new firm, the name does not violate the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2003, before the Washington State Bar Association's adoption of the 2006 revisions to the Rules of Professional Conduct, which reorganized the firm-name and advertising rules (RPC 7.1, 7.4, and 7.5). 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 Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance.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 mentioned here.

In practice

Under the Washington rules as they stood at the time of the opinion, the committee treated a trade-style firm name that omits any lawyer's name, such as "[Noun] Law Group, PLLC," as permissible under RPC 7.1, 7.4, and 7.5(a), conditioned on the firm in fact being a group of lawyers. The committee's conclusion turns on that single factual condition; it did not address other possible names or other facts.

Common questions

Q: Can a firm call itself "[Word] Law Group" without naming a lawyer?

A: The committee said yes, a name such as "[Noun] Law Group, PLLC" does not violate RPC 7.1, 7.4, or 7.5(a), provided there is actually a group of lawyers in the firm.

Q: What is the condition the committee attached?

A: That the firm genuinely be a group of lawyers. The committee's approval was expressly conditioned on there being an actual group of lawyers in the new firm.

Background and rules framework

The opinion interprets Washington's firm-name and advertising rules, which correspond to the Model Rules of the same number as they then existed: RPC 7.1 (Model Rule 7.1, communications concerning a lawyer's services that must not be false or misleading); RPC 7.4 (Model Rule 7.4, communication of fields of practice); and RPC 7.5(a) (Model Rule 7.5, firm names and letterheads, barring a name that is false or misleading). The committee applied these rules to a name omitting any individual lawyer's name and found no violation so long as the firm is in fact a group of lawyers.

Citations and references

Rules of Professional Conduct:

• Model Rule 7.1 / Washington RPC 7.1 (false or misleading communications about a lawyer's services)
• Model Rule 7.4 / Washington RPC 7.4 (communication of fields of practice)
• Model Rule 7.5 / Washington RPC 7.5(a) (firm names and letterheads; not false or misleading)

See also

• WSBA Ethics Op. 1144: Using a Former Partner's Name
• WA Ethics Op. 1271: Shared Phone Line Firm Name
• WA Ethics Op. 1272: Advertising as a 'Specialist'

Source

• Landing page: https://ao.wsba.org/print.aspx?ID=1285

Original opinion text

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

Advisory Opinion: 2040
Year Issued: 2003
RPC(s): RPC 7.1, 7.4, 7.5(a)
Subject: Firm name that does not include name of lawyer

The inquirer asks if the use of the name “[Noun] Law Group, PLCC” for a law firm violates RPC 7.1, 7.4, or 7.5(a)? The committee opined that, provided that there is actually a group of lawyers in the new firm, the name does not violate the Rules of Professional Conduct.