This blog is mainly about British lawyers, however I was somewhat startled to read this article in the Florida Bar News.
This states that from January 2010, lawyer websites (in Florida that is) will be subject to strict advertising standards, which will include no testimonials, no details of past results and no statements characterising the quality of the law services being rendered.
I bet completing services which are not subject to the Florida bar are really pleased about this!
Wow – that’s so Dickensian. I thought that solicitors in England and Wales were hamstrung by overregulation — but this is really stunning — especially in the free market land of the free ! How are they planning for clients to choose that lawyers — by lottery?
Yes, I thought it was pretty amazing. I wonder if this has happened in other states too? Maybe any American readers passing by could enlighten us?
Here is a blog post on a similar theme: http://21stcenturylaw.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/the-legal-profession-the-internet-and-harry-potter/ – the failure of the leaders of the American bar to accept the internet. Maybe we in the UK are well off!
This is another scary blog post, this time about restrictions in the Amercian bar on advertising which use of social media could breach http://buildasolopractice.solopracticeuniversity.com/2010/03/11/a-dozen-social-media-ethics-issues-for-lawyers/