Minnesota Bar Rules for Attorney Advertising
If you are thinking about redesigning your website or changing your internet marketing strategy, then consider the bar rules for attorney advertising in Minnesota. The rules in the State of Minnesota for attorney advertising are codified in the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct.
Before redesigning your law firm's website or beginning a new internet marketing campaign, it is important to read the rules in their entirety. Many of the bar rules for attorney advertising can be found in the section on "Information About Legal Services" that govern the promotion of the law-related services and deal with advertising and solicitation for Minnesota lawyers. Additional guidance can be found in the comments to each rule.
In many respects, the bar rules in Minnesota track closely with the Model Rules from the American Bar Association.
The failure to follow the rules can result in disciplinary action or sanctions against the attorney. For this reason, it is important to hire an internet marketing company that understands the applicable bar rules in Michigan for your law firm's website.
If you are interested in finding an internet marketing and website design company that understands the bar rules, then contact our parent company, Internet Lava, LLC. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss designing a better website and internet marketing strategy.
Resources for Attorney Advertising in Minnesota
Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPC) - Visit the website of the Lawyer Professional Responsibility Board to find the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPC) which took effect on October 1, 2005 and was last amended on July 1, 2018. Find the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board Opinions for Interpretations of Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct. Find more information on how to file a complaint, get access to the request for the history of disciplinary actions by the board, and proposed and pending rules or opinions.
Minnesota State Bar Association – Visit the official website for the Minnesota State Bar Association and find more information surrounding the Bar Rules, law-related organizations, and learn how to apply to the Minnesota State Bar. Find links to the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct and find more information on the rules discerning advertising.
Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board Opinions – Find more information surrounding the Lawyer Professional Responsibility Board ethics opinions, how they interpret the laws, and what opinions are currently active with the board.
Regulation of Lawyer Advertising – Visit an article from the Bench & Bar of Minnesotaby Charles E. Lundberg, a member of the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. Find more information on major components of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct and how the board has interpreted hotly debated topics in the past.
How to Communicate Minnesota Lawyer Services Online
The Minnesota Bar of Professional Conduct Rule 7.1 states a lawyer cannot make false or misleading information about their services on their site. The Bar interprets a misleading or false fact as any material that omits or misrepresents the law or their results.
The Minnesota Bar comments state that for instance stating you have had “successful results” in the past is a violation of Bar Rules. The statement may lead a reasonable person to form an unjustified expectation that they will also receive the same results. This would be considered a misleading or false statement.
Comparisons are also considered false or misleading statements. Attorneys who claim their fees or consultations are superior to other attorneys are breaking Bar Rules of Professional Conduct. Any attorney using false or misleading statements may face a type of disciplinary action.
Advertising Attorney Services Online in Minnesota
Rule 7.4 of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct establishes that attorneys cannot use terms such as specialist, specialty, specializes in, or certified as a specialist in a particular type of law. Any statements such as this are considered false or misleading.
However, if the certification is given by an organization, then an attorney is permitted to advertise that he or she is a specialist. For the statement to be deemed appropriate, the organization’s name and information must be easily accessible.
If the organization has not been assessed by the Bar, the attorney must state the absence of authority to grant the certification. For this reason, attorneys in Minnesota who are board certified specialist must also follow special rules when disclosing that fact. Special bar rules also apply to attorneys using a lawyer referral service in Minnesota.
