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Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct

Before you start a marketing plan for your law firm, you’ll want to make sure you understand all of the Connecticut Bar guidelines for internet advertising. Luckily, a trusted marketing firm can help you understand these guidelines, as well as create a website that adheres to all of the Bar rules.

For example, in Connecticut, attorneys must adhere to a mandatory filing of advertisements on a regular basis. More information on this and other regulations can be found using the resources listed below.

Resources

Connecticut State Bar Rules of Professional Conduct – This is the official pdf for the comprehensive rulebook.

FAQs for Attorney Advertising in Connecticut – Have questions regarding the Rules of Professional Conduct and advertising? This resource is very helpful.

Key Rules to be Aware of

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Rule 7.1. Communications concerning a Lawyer’s Services

A lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services. A communication is false or misleading if it contains a material misrepresentation of fact or law, or omits a fact necessary to make the statement considered as a whole not materially misleading.

Rule 7.2. Communications concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules

(a) A lawyer may communicate information regarding the lawyer’s services through all media.

(b) (1) A copy or recording of a communication regarding the lawyer’s services shall be kept for three years after its last dissemination along with a record of when and where it was used. An electronic communication regarding the lawyer’s services shall be copied once every three months on a compact disc or similar technology and kept for three years after its last dissemination. (2) A lawyer shall comply with the mandatory filing requirement of Practice Book Section 2-28A.

(c) A lawyer shall not compensate, give or promise anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services, except that a lawyer may: (1) pay the reasonable cost of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service; (3) pay for a law practice in accordance with Rule 1.17; (4) refer clients to another lawyer or a nonlawyer professional pursuant to an agreement not otherwise prohibited under these Rules that provides for the other person to refer clients or customers to the lawyer, if: (A) the reciprocal referral agreement is not exclusive; and (B) the client is informed of the existence and nature of the agreement; and (5) give a nominal gift as an expression of appreciation, provided that such a gift is neither intended nor reasonably expected to be a form of compensation for recommending a lawyer’s services, and such gifts are limited to no more than two per year to any recipient.

(d) A lawyer shall not state or imply that a lawyer is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless: (1) the lawyer is currently certified as a specialist in that field of law by a board or other entity which is approved by the Rules Committee of the Superior Court of this state or by an organization accredited by the American Bar Association; and (2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly identified in the communication.

(e) Any communication made under this Rule must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer admitted in Connecticut responsible for its content. In the case of television advertisements, the name, address and telephone number of the lawyer admitted in Connecticut shall be displayed in bold print for fifteen seconds or the duration of the commercial, whichever is less, and shall be prominent enough to be readable.

(f) Every communication that contains information about the lawyer’s fee, including those indicating that the charging of a fee is contingent on outcome, or that no fee will be charged in the absence of a recovery, or that the fee will be a percentage of the recovery, shall disclose whether and to what extent the client will be responsible for any court costs and expenses of litigation. The disclosure concerning court costs and expenses of litigation shall be in the same print size and type as the information regarding the lawyer’s fee and, if broadcast, shall appear for the same duration as the information regarding the lawyer’s fee. If the information regarding the fee is spoken, the disclosure concerning court costs and expenses of litigation shall also be spoken.

(g) A lawyer who communicates a specific fee or range of fees for a particular service shall honor the fee or range of fees described in the communication for at least ninety days unless the communication specifies a shorter period; provided that, for communications in the yellow pages of telephone directories or other media not published more frequently than annually, the fee or range of fees described in the communication shall be honored for no less than one year following publication.