Can a lawyer associated with a firm be described as a 'consultant' on the firm's business cards?
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This page answers the general question as of 1990. Ezel answers yours: whether it's allowed on your facts, under the current rules of professional conduct in your state, with citations.
Plain-English summary
The inquiring firm asked whether it could use the term "consultant" on business cards to describe a Washington lawyer associated with the firm. The committee was of the opinion that nothing in the Rules of Professional Conduct would prohibit use of such a term.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 1990, before the Washington State Bar Association's adoption of the 2006 revisions to the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct. 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 Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance.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, deadline, or requirement mentioned here.
Common questions
Q: Can a firm call an associated lawyer a 'consultant' on its business cards?
A: Under this 1990 opinion, yes; the committee was of the opinion that nothing in the Rules of Professional Conduct would prohibit use of the term to describe a Washington lawyer associated with the firm.
Q: Did the committee impose any conditions on using the term?
A: The opinion states only that nothing in the rules would prohibit the term; it did not attach conditions in the facts it reviewed.
Background and rules framework
At the time of this opinion, Washington's RPC 7.4 addressed communication of a lawyer's fields of practice, the subject the Model Rules place in Rule 7.4. The committee found no rule barring a firm from describing an associated Washington lawyer as a "consultant" on a business card.
Citations and references
Rules of Professional Conduct:
- ABA Model Rule 7.4 (communication of fields of practice)
- Washington RPC 7.4
See also
Source
- Landing page: https://ao.wsba.org/print.aspx?ID=422
Original opinion text
Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.
The Committee reviewed your inquiry concerning the use of the term "consultant" on business cards to describe a Washington lawyer associated with your firm. The Committee was of the opinion that nothing in the Rules of Professional Conduct would prohibit use of such a term.
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