Alaska rules
Can an Alaska lawyer advertise as a specialist or quote what clients recovered?
Alaska bans the word "specialist" without ABA-accredited certification, lets testimonials state recoveries with the client's informed consent, and sets exact wording for rankings.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Only within narrow limits. Alaska Rule of Professional Conduct 7.4 says a lawyer "shall not state or imply" being a specialist or certified, "or words of similar import", unless the lawyer is admitted to patent practice or holds a certification from a program the American Bar Association accredits, with the certifier named. On recoveries, Alaska Bar Ethics Opinion 2020-02 says testimonials stating amounts fit the rules "only if the clients provide informed consent", assuming the ad otherwise meets Rules 7.1 to 7.3.
Nothing is filed with the Alaska Bar Association. Every ad carries "the name and office address of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content" (Rule 7.2(c)), and targeted letters and emails to people known to need help carry "Advertising Material" (Rule 7.3(c)). Live, in-person and real-time solicitation of strangers for money is banned (Rule 7.3(a)).
The advertising rules were last amended by Supreme Court Order 1905, effective October 15, 2017. This is a plain summary for marketing planning, not legal advice. Check the current rule with your bar or law society. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
Which rules apply
Alaska's advertising rules are Rules 7.1 to 7.5, with Alaska's own changes to the national model.
The Alaska Supreme Court adopts the rules by numbered order, and the Alaska Court System publishes them in one PDF that the Alaska Bar Association links to. The current file already includes an order effective October 15, 2026.
| Rule | What it covers | Marketing effect |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | False or misleading communications, including about "any prospective client's need for legal services"; unjustified expectations; unsubstantiated comparisons | Results and comparisons need substantiation or context |
| 7.2 | Advertising media, paying for recommendations, required name and office address | Each ad carries a responsible lawyer or firm name and an office address |
| 7.3 | Live solicitation ban, unwanted contact, "Advertising Material" label, prepaid plans | No cold calls or visits for profit; labels on targeted letters and emails |
| 7.4 | Fields of practice and specialization | "Specialist" and "certified" only for patent practice or ABA-accredited certification |
| 7.5 | Firm names, letterheads and "of counsel"; a website address counts as a professional designation | Domains and trade names can't mislead; a solo can't imply a group practice |
Rules 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 were "amended by SCO 1905 effective October 15, 2017". Rules 7.4 and 7.5 date from SCO 1680, effective April 15, 2009, when the Court rescinded and repromulgated these rules. For the national text, see our ABA Model Rules guide.
Filing and review
Alaska has no filing, fee or approval for ads; the Bar's ethics opinions are the guidance.
No Alaska rule asks a lawyer to submit an ad, and Rule 7.2 has no record keeping clause. The Alaska Bar Association's Ethics Committee writes opinions that its Board of Governors adopts.
- No submission
Ads, websites and posts go out without review by the Bar or the Court, and no fee or waiting period applies.
- The Bar's advertising opinions
The Bar's topical index lists four opinions under "Advertising": 69-4 (a building name), 94-2 (using more than one firm name), 2009-2 (lawyer ranking systems) and 2020-2 (publicizing client recoveries).
- How an opinion is made
Opinion 2020-02 was approved by the Ethics Committee on August 18, 2020 and adopted by the Board of Governors on October 26, 2020; the index separately lists withdrawn and modified opinions.
- Your own file
Since nothing is filed, the firm's own dated copies are its record. We save every Alaska ad version and landing page with the dates it ran.
Like Alaska, Washington files nothing; our Washington guide covers its much looser solicitation rule.
What every ad must include
An Alaska ad names a responsible lawyer or firm with an office address, and targeted messages say "Advertising Material".
Rule 7.2(c) keeps the older "office address" wording. Rule 7.3(c) adds a label for solicitations sent to people known to need help with a particular matter.
- Name and office address (7.2(c)): "the name and office address of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content." A phone number or website alone doesn't meet the text.
- The label (7.3(c)): "Advertising Material" on the outside envelope, if any, and at the beginning and end of any recorded or electronic message, unless the recipient is a lawyer or has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer.
- Websites as names (7.5(f)): a "website address or other electronic reference" used to identify the firm is a professional designation, so a domain can't mislead either.
- Group practice (Alaska Comment to 7.5): a sole practitioner shouldn't use "and associates" or other language implying a group.
- Licensing (7.5(b)): a firm with offices in several jurisdictions shows the limits on lawyers not licensed where the office is.
- Needs of the reader (7.1): Alaska added "any prospective client's need for legal services" to the misleading test, so an ad can't overstate whether someone needs a lawyer at all.
For a firm with offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks, one office address per ad is enough under the text. Our ad copy rules guide shows how required lines fit into short formats.
Results, testimonials and rankings
Alaska requires the client's informed consent before a testimonial states a recovery, and sets the wording for lawyer rankings.
Rule 7.1(b) bars claims "likely to create a reasonable but unjustified expectation about results". Two Bar opinions explain how that applies to recovery figures and to rankings.
| Content | Alaska's position | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Testimonials stating recovery amounts | Permitted "only if the clients provide informed consent", assuming the ad is otherwise not misleading | Opinion 2020-02 |
| Recoveries that are public record | Still a client secret if dissemination could be detrimental; a judgment may be public but not widely known | Opinion 2020-02; Rule 1.6 |
| Getting consent | Not required in writing by Rule 1.6, but the "most prudent course" is to confirm consent in writing | Opinion 2020-02 |
| Rankings such as "Super Lawyers" or "Best Lawyers" | Allowed with the publication name, the year and any practice area, in the form "selected for inclusion in" the publication | Opinion 2009-2 |
| Paying to be ranked | Mentioning a ranking doesn't violate Rule 7.2 "so long as the lawyer did not pay to be selected"; paying for a listing or ad is allowed | Opinion 2009-2 |
| Comparisons with other lawyers | Misleading "unless the comparison can be factually substantiated" | Rule 7.1(c) |
Opinion 2020-02 notes that a client's name next to a recovery can invite fraud, theft or requests for loans, and that "the greater the amount, the greater is the potential risk of client harm." Opinion 2009-2 adds that ads with client results, verdict records or endorsements are "ordinarily precluded by Rule 7.1(b)", so consent alone doesn't settle a recovery figure. Compare Ohio, where a Board opinion treats settlement amounts in testimonials as inherently misleading. Our testimonials guide covers more states.
Specialist and certified
Alaska bans "specialist" and "certified" except for patent lawyers and ABA-accredited certifications.
Rule 7.4 lets a lawyer say what fields they do or don't practice in, then closes the door on specialist wording with two exceptions. Opinion 2009-2 adds that a ranking isn't by itself a Rule 7.4 problem.
- Fields of practice: allowed, including saying the lawyer takes only certain kinds of matters.
- Patent (7.4(a)): a lawyer admitted to patent practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office may use the designation in the rule or a substantially similar one.
- Certification (7.4(b)): only a certification by a named organization or authority "whose specialty certification program is accredited by the American Bar Association".
- Admiralty: the Alaska comment says the model rule's admiralty exception was left out because the field "is no longer a unique specialization".
- The certifier's name: the comment says it "must be included in any communication regarding the certification".
We read "words of similar import" to reach "expert", "specializing in" and the like, so "Anchorage DUI specialists" fails unless an ABA-accredited body certified the lawyer. "Our practice is limited to DUI defense" works. Hawaii takes a different route, with its own court-issued certificate.
Direct contact and paying for leads
Alaska bans live solicitation for profit, labels targeted messages, and allows paid lead generators on conditions.
Under Rule 7.3, written and electronic outreach is allowed with a label, and real-time contact with strangers isn't. Chapter 08.08 of the Alaska Statutes, on the Bar, has no section on solicitation.
- Live contact (7.3(a))
No in-person, live telephone or real-time electronic solicitation when a significant motive is pecuniary gain, unless the person is a lawyer or has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer.
- Any contact (7.3(b))
No solicitation by any means to someone who has said they don't want it, or that involves coercion, duress or harassment. The comment adds that after a letter gets no response, further attempts may violate 7.3(b).
- Disasters and accidents
The rules we read set no waiting period after an accident, but the live contact ban applies at all times, and the label applies to every targeted letter or email.
- Lead generators (7.2 comment)
A lawyer may pay for leads if the generator doesn't recommend the lawyer, payment fits Rules 1.5(e) and 5.4, and its messages meet Rule 7.1. The generator can't imply a recommendation, a free referral, or that it analyzed the person's legal problem.
- Referral services (7.2(b)(2))
Only the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service, meaning one "approved by an appropriate regulatory authority".
- Reciprocal referrals (7.2(b)(4))
Allowed if not exclusive and the client is told about the arrangement.
We treat a chat widget that pops up and pitches a visitor in real time as possible real-time electronic contact; one the visitor opens is a reply. Our paying for leads guide compares lead rules across states, and Oregon shows a state that dropped its live contact ban in 2018.
Channel by channel
How Alaska's rules apply to search ads, Local Services Ads, social media and AI search content.
The comment to Rule 7.2 counts Internet-based advertisements and online directory listings among the costs a lawyer may pay for. Each channel then has its own pressure point.
| Channel | What the rule means there | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Google search ads | The firm name and an office address in the ad or its assets; no "specialist" or "expert" in headlines | 7.2(c); 7.4 |
| Local Services Ads | Profile wording follows 7.4, and any badge or ranking shown follows Opinion 2009-2's format | 7.4; Opinion 2009-2 |
| Facebook and Instagram ads | Client videos naming a recovery need the client's informed consent, confirmed in writing | Opinion 2020-02 |
| Social posts and direct messages | Posts are advertising; a real-time message pitching a stranger is a live solicitation | 7.2(a); 7.3(a) |
| Website and AI search content | Bios, FAQs and practice pages that AI tools quote use "practice limited to" wording, not "specialist" | 7.4; 7.1 |
How the two Google programs charge is in our Local Services Ads vs Google Ads guide. Our AI search service writes the page content AI tools quote, and our social media rules guide covers messaging.
What we check
Our Alaska review starts with specialist words and recovery figures.
When we review an Alaska firm's ads, we check every headline, bio and profile for "specialist", "expert" and "certified" first, because Rule 7.4 bans those words outright for most lawyers.
Remove specialist words
Specialist, expert and certified come out unless an ABA-accredited body certified the lawyer, in which case the certifier is named.
Get consent for recovery figures
A testimonial with an amount runs only after the client's informed consent, and we ask the firm to confirm it in writing first.
Reformat rankings
Each ranking reads "selected for inclusion in" the publication with its year and practice area.
Add the name and office address
Every ad, landing page and post names a responsible lawyer or firm and an office address.
Label targeted messages
Letters to people known to need help carry "Advertising Material" on the envelope, and emails carry it at the start and end.
One case study, Their First Month With Us Beat Every Previous Vendor, comes from a family law firm, and any figures in it are the firm's results, not ad claims. Our Google Ads service writes ads within rules like Alaska's. For that practice, see our family law marketing page. On the West Coast, compare California's rules.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
Alaska mistakes we look for in accounts firms bring to us.
"Specialist" or "expert" in a headline
Rule 7.4 bars stating or implying specialization, or "words of similar import", except for patent practice and ABA-accredited certification.
A recovery figure without consent
Opinion 2020-02 permits recovery amounts in testimonials only with the client's informed consent, even when the amount is public record.
"Super Lawyer" with no publication or year
Opinion 2009-2 requires the publication name, the date and any practice area, in the "selected for inclusion in" form.
A cold call to an accident victim
Rule 7.3(a) bans live telephone and in-person solicitation for pecuniary gain unless the person is a lawyer or has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer.
No office address
Rule 7.2(c) requires the name and office address of at least one responsible lawyer or law firm in every communication.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Published family law, immigration and DUI results, from firms whose case studies don't name where they practice.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
Do Alaska lawyers have to file their ads?
No. Rules 7.1 to 7.5 have no filing, fee or review requirement. The Alaska Bar Association's Ethics Committee publishes opinions, adopted by its Board of Governors, that explain how the rules apply.
Can an Alaska lawyer advertise client settlements?
Yes, with the client's informed consent. Opinion 2020-02 says testimonials disclosing recovery amounts are permitted only on that condition, and recommends confirming the consent in writing. The ad must also avoid creating unjustified expectations under Rule 7.1(b).
Can an Alaska lawyer say "specialist" or "expert"?
Not unless the lawyer is admitted to patent practice or holds a certification from an organization whose program the ABA accredits, with the certifier named (Rule 7.4). Saying you practice only in certain fields is allowed.
Can I mention "Super Lawyers" or "Best Lawyers" in Alaska?
Yes, in the format Opinion 2009-2 sets: the lawyer's name, "selected for inclusion in", the publication, the year, and the practice area if one was given. You may not have paid to be selected.
Can I contact accident victims in Alaska?
Not in person, by live phone or in a real-time chat if you have no prior relationship (Rule 7.3(a)). A letter is allowed with "Advertising Material" on the envelope, an email with it at the start and end, and either stops if the person says no.
Does every Alaska ad need an address?
Yes. Rule 7.2(c) requires the name and office address of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for the content.
How does Alaska compare with Washington and Hawaii?
Our Washington guide covers a state that allows specialist wording and most solicitation, and our Hawaii guide covers a court-run certification program. The state-by-state list shows every state's filing rule.
Where we do this
The services this guide touches.
What this looks like when we run it for a firm, with a demo for your practice on each page.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. We read the Supreme Court orders' numbers and dates from the rules PDF's history lines; the orders themselves weren't opened. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Alaska Court System, Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct (Rules 7.1 to 7.5)
- Alaska Court System, Rules of Court (recent rule changes and requests for comments)
- Alaska Bar Association, Rules and Regulations (links to the Rules of Professional Conduct)
- Alaska Bar Association, Adopted Ethics Opinions: Topical
- Alaska Bar Association, Ethics Opinion 2020-02: Publicizing Client Recoveries
- Alaska Bar Association, Ethics Opinion 2009-2: Lawyer Ranking Systems in Advertising
- Alaska State Legislature, Alaska Statutes chapter 08.08 (Alaska Bar Association)
Written by
Founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads strategy and works directly with every client firm on AI search, Local Services Ads, Google Ads and Meta ads.
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