Washington State Bar Association Ethics Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of legal ethics opinions issued by the Washington State Bar Association, with full citations and source links on every page.
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Can a lawyer say 'escrow and real estate matters' on the letterhead, and can a two-lawyer firm call itself 'Doe and Associates'?
The committee concluded that putting 'escrow and real matters' on the sign, letterhead, and cards would imply the lawyer was a specialist and is prohibited by RPC 7.4, though the lawyer may state whet…
Can a lawyer advertise 'no recovery, no fee' or call the practice 'the firm that gets results'?
The committee found nothing improper in mailing a lawyer's advertisement with cable TV statements, but concluded 7-1 that 'no recovery -- no fee' is misleading, and 7-1 that 'the firm that gets result…
Can a law firm run a booth at a county fair to sell simple wills?
The committee concluded that nothing in the Code of Professional Responsibility or the Rules of Professional Conduct prohibits a law firm from setting up a booth at a county fair for the purpose of se…
Can lawyers who only share office space list all their names together on a shared door sign and letterhead?
The committee concluded that office-sharing lawyers could list their names in a vertical list with dividing lines on the door sign, but that the same format on a shared letterhead would violate RPC 7.…
Can a law firm list nonlawyers like a Rule 9 intern or office manager on its office sign or letterhead?
The committee concluded that although the old Code (DR 1-102) prohibited listing nonlawyers on office signs, the Rules of Professional Conduct effective September 1, 1985 contain no such prohibition, …
Can a lawyer-mediator mail brochures to people who recently filed for divorce to offer mediation services?
By a 5-4 vote, the committee treated a lawyer's work mediating dissolutions as 'professional employment' subject to the solicitation rule RPC 7.3, and concluded the lawyer may mail a non-personalized …
Can a Washington sole practitioner advertise an affiliation with an out-of-state firm, or have the office phone answered 'attorneys at law'?
The committee concluded that a Washington lawyer who was neither a partner nor an employee of an out-of-state firm could not advertise an affiliation with non-Washington lawyers, and that a sole pract…
Can a lawyer use direct-mail advertising and offer free seminars to a retirement community to attract clients?
The committee concluded that direct-mail advertising is permitted if it is not misleading or deceptive; it split 6 to 4 on a proposed free seminar for a retirement community, the majority allowing the…
Can lawyers who share office space but are not partners use 'law offices,' or a solo use 'and associates,' or call someone 'of counsel'?
The committee concluded that non-partners may not hold themselves out as partners by using 'law offices'; that it is inherently misleading for a sole practitioner with no associates to use 'and associ…
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Legal ethics opinions from the Washington State Bar Association 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.