Can a law firm hand out a fee-discount coupon to mark its anniversary, or donate to charity for each coupon redeemed?

Plain-English summary

The bar's published summary records that a law firm may offer a coupon for $50 off legal fees to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the firm, or may make similar charitable contributions for each coupon redeemed.

The official record for this opinion is the bar's summary; the bar notes that the original opinion text is missing. The bar classifies the opinion under advertising and solicitation.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 1995, before the Washington State Bar Association's adoption of the 2006 revisions to the 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 Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance.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. The bar classifies this opinion under advertising and solicitation; in Washington those rules are RPC 7.1 and 7.2, corresponding to ABA Model Rules 7.1 and 7.2.

Common questions

Q: Can a law firm offer a discount coupon on its fees?

A: The bar's summary records that a firm may offer a coupon for $50 off legal fees to celebrate the firm's 25th anniversary.

Q: Can the firm tie the coupon to a charitable donation instead?

A: The summary records that the firm may make similar charitable contributions for each coupon redeemed.

Background and rules framework

The bar classifies this opinion under advertising and solicitation; the corresponding Washington rules are RPC 7.1 (communications about a lawyer's services) and RPC 7.2 (advertising), which correspond to ABA Model Rules 7.1 and 7.2. The official record available is the bar's summary, which states the conclusion without reproducing the committee's full analysis.

Citations and references

Rules of Professional Conduct:

• ABA Model Rule 7.1 (communications about a lawyer's services); Washington RPC 7.1
• ABA Model Rule 7.2 (advertising); Washington RPC 7.2

See also

• WA Ethics Op. 1602: For-Profit Lawyer Referral Service
• WA Ethics Op. 1603: In-Person Solicitation at Networking Events

Source

• Landing page: https://ao.wsba.org/print.aspx?ID=700

Original opinion text

Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.

Advisory Opinion: 1617
Year Issued: 1995
RPC(s):
Subject: Advertising and solicitation; fee discount coupon; charitable donation.

Law firm may offer coupon for $50 off legal fees to celebrate 25th anniversary of firm, or may make similar charitable contributions for each coupon redeemed. [Ed. Note- this is a summary; original opinion missing.]