Alabama State Bar Ethics Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of legal ethics opinions issued by the Alabama State Bar, with full citations and source links on every page.
No Alabama State Bar opinions match these filters
Try a different search term or clear the filters.
Can an Alabama lawyer sell discounted legal services through Groupon or other daily-deal websites?
No. The opinion concludes that the website's percentage cut is impermissible fee sharing with a non-lawyer under Rule 5.4, and the model also implicates the trust-account, refund, conflict-check, comp…
Can an Alabama lawyer advertise the ability to communicate in a foreign language when a nonlawyer employee, not the lawyer, will actually do the communicating?
Yes, but the advertisement must make clear that the employee, not the lawyer, will communicate in the foreign language. Any Rule 7.2(e) disclaimer must appear in the advertised language (and in Englis…
Whom may an Alabama lawyer directly solicit in person or by telephone for legal business without violating the anti-solicitation rule?
Rule 7.3(a) lets a lawyer directly solicit, in person or by phone, family members (by blood or marriage) and current or former clients. Strangers known to need legal services remain off-limits when a …
What attorney advertising and solicitation practices does Alabama allow, including business cards, prescription-bag ads, comparative claims, and testimonials?
The opinion answers ten advertising questions: business cards left for third parties to distribute and prescription-bag ads are improper agent solicitation; pro bono offers and communications to forme…
Can one lawyer pay another lawyer's advertising costs in exchange for the advertised lawyer referring clients?
No. The opinion concluded the arrangement violates Rule 7.1 because it misleads the public about which lawyer will actually represent them, and violates Rule 7.2(c) because paying a lawyer's advertisi…
Do a state's lawyer-advertising and solicitation rules apply to a lawyer's web page, online postings, and email?
Yes. The opinion concluded that the advertising and solicitation rules focus on the content of advertising, not the means, so any information a lawyer makes available about the lawyer or the lawyer's …
Can a lawyer add extra wording to a direct-mail envelope beyond the required 'Advertisement' label, and can the required mailing list be filed on a computer disk?
No on both points. The opinion concluded that adding extraneous words to a direct-mail solicitation envelope violates the rule because it subverts the recipient's option to disregard a legal advertise…
Can a lawyer state on letterhead, business cards, or advertising that the lawyer is certified as an arbitrator by the American Arbitration Association?
Yes. The opinion concluded that stating a lawyer is certified as an arbitrator by the American Arbitration Association is not false or misleading and does not violate Rules 7.1 and 7.7, because arbitr…
Can a law firm fund and bankroll a nominally separate firm's office and advertising in exchange for that firm referring cases to it?
The opinion concluded a firm may not establish and bankroll a nominally separate firm (paying its rent, salaries, and advertising) in return for case referrals, because it misleads the public under Ru…
Can a law firm buy an ad in a union's service directory and let the union endorse it and hand out the firm's business cards to members?
The opinion concluded a firm may buy an ad in a union service directory, accept the union's endorsement, and give the union business cards to distribute, so long as the firm does not pay the union for…
Can a solo lawyer use a name like 'John Doe & Associates,' 'John Doe Law Firm,' or 'John Doe Law Office'?
The opinion concluded a lawyer may use 'John Doe & Associates' only if he has at least one associated attorney in his employ, but a sole practitioner may use 'John Doe Law Firm,' 'John Doe Law Office,…
Can a lawyer's firm brochure list past damage awards or the lawyer's record of favorable verdicts to show experience?
The opinion concluded a firm brochure may not list the amount of past damage awards or the lawyer's record of obtaining favorable verdicts, because such claims are likely to create unjustified expecta…
Can a law firm pay for a solo practitioner's television and radio advertising in exchange for the solo referring cases to the firm?
The opinion concluded a firm may not fund a solo practitioner's advertising where the solo in turn refers cases to the firm, because the arrangement causes a false or misleading communication about th…
In a newspaper directory of many small lawyer ads, can a single prominent disclaimer at the bottom of the page cover all of them, instead of one in each ad?
The opinion concluded that the required advertising disclaimer need not sit inside each individual ad; a single disclaimer displayed prominently across the bottom of a page of multiple lawyer ads sati…
Can a board-certified lawyer advertise how few other lawyers hold the same certification, such as 'only 19 of 9,300 Alabama lawyers'?
The opinion concluded a lawyer may state that he is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, but an advertisement comparing the number of certified lawyers to the number who are not is inher…
Can an Alabama lawyer pay to join a for-profit attorney referral hotline that runs TV ads and routes callers to the lawyer?
The opinion concluded Alabama lawyers may not participate in the 'Attorney Hotline,' a for-profit referral service, because paying it for the referrals it generates (not merely for advertising) gives …
If a lawyer practices under a trade name, must the trade name appear in all of the firm's communications?
The opinion concluded that a lawyer or firm operating under a trade name must use that name, together with the name of a lawyer responsible for the content, consistently in all permissible communicati…
Is a law firm brochure permissible under Alabama's lawyer-advertising rules?
The opinion concluded the submitted firm brochure was permissible because it was not false or misleading and complied with the Temporary Disciplinary Rules governing lawyer advertising and solicitatio…
Can a law firm's certified legal secretary or paralegal have a business card showing her credential and the firm address?
The opinion concluded a certified Professional Legal Secretary may list her name, the initials PLS, and the office address on a business card, but the card must also carry the mandatory 'Non-Lawyer As…
Can a law firm publish a 'tombstone' announcement naming the deals it worked on and the clients involved?
The opinion concluded a firm may publish 'tombstone announcements' of its participation in selected transactions, naming the clients, but only with each client's prior consent after full disclosure, a…
Browse Alabama State Bar opinions by topic
Legal ethics opinions from the Alabama State Bar interpret the rules of professional conduct for working lawyers, in response to inquiries from members and committees. They are not binding like court discipline decisions, but courts and discipline boards treat formal opinions as substantial guidance on how the rules apply. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the original source on the bar's site.