Rules by jurisdiction
Lawyer advertising rules by state and province: which guide do you need?
One list of the US states, DC and Canadian provinces we cover: the regulator, the rule numbers, whether ads are filed, and the one rule that changes campaigns there.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Every US state and DC writes its own lawyer advertising rules, and every Canadian law society has its own code. The ABA says its Model Rules serve as models for the ethics rules of most jurisdictions, and Canada's law societies developed the Federation of Law Societies' Model Code together to harmonize their rules. Each jurisdiction still changes the parts that decide real campaigns: whether ads are filed, what every ad must say, who may claim to be a specialist, and how soon you may contact someone after an accident.
Only a few of the jurisdictions below make firms file ads. Florida files 20 days before first use, Louisiana files at or before first use and prints the filing number in the ad, Texas files within 10 days after, and Nevada within 15 days. Kentucky offers an optional advisory opinion. The rest rely on the lawyer's own review, some with a rule to keep copies.
The tables list the 20 US jurisdictions and 3 Canadian provinces we've written guides for so far, each built from the regulator's own pages; more are being added. 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.
How to use this page
Start with where your lawyers are licensed, then check every place your ads reach.
The rules that bind a firm are first those of the jurisdictions where its lawyers are admitted. Some jurisdictions also reach ads aimed at their residents, so a campaign that crosses a border needs both checks.
List every license
Each lawyer's admissions decide which rulebooks apply to the firm's ads. A two-state firm reads two guides.
List where the ads run
Search, Local Services Ads and Meta campaigns target places. Alabama, for example, applies its rules to communications directed at or reasonably expected to reach Alabama residents.
Check filing first
Filing changes launch dates. In Florida an ad waits 20 days; in Louisiana it can't run before it's filed.
Check the words
Specialist, expert, results and testimonials: the rows below show where the rules differ.
Check contact and leads
Waiting periods after accidents, rules on targeted messages, and what you may pay a lead platform. Our guide to paying for leads compares them.
For the ABA's baseline, read our ABA Model Rules guide. For a side-by-side of the main US, Canadian, Australian and UK rules, see the advertising rules comparison.
United States
US states and DC: who regulates ads, whether they're filed, and what stands out.
Each row links the full guide, which quotes the rule and links the regulator's own page.
| Jurisdiction | Regulator and rules | Ads filed or reviewed? | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama State Bar; Rules 7.1 to 7.5 (7.1 to 7.3 amended effective January 1, 2026) | No filing deadline in the rule; keep ads six years and produce them on request | Set wording for dramatizations and for cases referred out |
| California | State Bar Rules 7.1 to 7.5 plus Business and Professions Code 6157 to 6159.2 | No; keep copies one year | Results and money mentions in electronic ads are presumed misleading |
| Delaware | Delaware Lawyers' Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 to 7.5 | No | Every ad names a responsible lawyer or firm and its office address |
| District of Columbia | DC Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 and 7.5 only | No | A single advertising rule; no required label |
| Florida | The Florida Bar; Rules 4-7.11 to 4-7.22 | Yes, 20 days before first use; $250, $750 late | No injury-related written contact for 30 days |
| Georgia | Supreme Court of Georgia; Rules 7.1 to 7.3 (amended effective March 1, 2026) | No | Rules 7.4 and 7.5 are now reserved |
| Illinois | Supreme Court of Illinois; Rules 7.1 to 7.4 | No | Lead platform and directory rules since July 1, 2025 |
| Kentucky | SCR 3.130(7.01) to (7.60) and the Advertising Commission's regulations | Optional advisory opinion, $75 an ad, answered within 30 days | A favorable opinion protects against discipline for that ad |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 to 7.10 | Yes, at or before first use; $175, $275 late | The LSBA filing number goes in the ad itself |
| Maryland | Maryland Rules 19-307.1 to 19-307.5 | No; keep ads three years | A state statute bars injury and accident contact for 30 days |
| Nevada | State Bar of Nevada; Rules 7.1 to 7.5 | Yes, within 15 days; $100 an ad | Past results need the rule's own disclaimer |
| New Jersey | RPC 7.1 to 7.5 and the "Attorney Advertising Guidelines" in the court rules | No routine filing; advisory opinions on request | Keep every ad three years and back the website up monthly |
| New York | Rules 7.1 to 7.3 (7.1 and 7.3 amended June 1, 2026) | No | The "Attorney Advertising" label is gone |
| North Carolina | North Carolina State Bar; Rules 7.1 to 7.4 | No | Bidding on another lawyer's name as a keyword breaks Rule 8.4(c) |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 to 7.3 (7.4 and 7.5 deleted in 2024) | No | Paid endorsements must be disclosed |
| South Carolina | Rule 407 SCACR, Rules 7.1 to 7.5 | No; review each ad before it runs and keep it two years | Every ad names the city of the office doing the work |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, RPC 7.1, 7.3 and 7.6 | No; keep ads two years | A 30-day wait also covers new divorce filings |
| Texas | State Bar of Texas; Rules 7.01 to 7.05 | Yes, within 10 days after first use; $100 | Early accident solicitation is a crime under Penal Code 38.12 |
| Virginia | Virginia Rules 7.1 and 7.3, explained in Legal Ethics Opinion 1750 | No; ethics staff monitor ads | Only two advertising rules remain |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Rules 7.1 to 7.5 | No | No lawyer may claim to be a certified specialist |
Canada
Canadian provinces: law society codes, no filing, and strict words on specialists.
None of the provinces we cover files ads. What changes from one to the next is the wording on specialists, results and referral fees.
| Province | Regulator and rules | Ads filed? | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Law Society of Alberta; Code of Conduct chapter 4 | No | "Specialist" and "expert" improper without certification |
| British Columbia | Law Society of BC; Code chapter 4 and ethics advisory EA-2025-05 | No | "Specialist" barred unless authorized; "expertise" acceptable |
| Ontario | Law Society of Ontario; Rules 4.1 to 4.3 | No | Dollar results need the Law Society's set disclaimer |
What else changes for a Canadian firm, from Google's ad products to privacy and language rules, is in our guide to marketing a law firm in Canada.
What differs most
Four kinds of rule change a campaign when a firm crosses a border.
Reading the guides side by side, the same four differences come up again and again.
- Filing and records
Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Nevada file ads; Kentucky offers optional review. Several others make you keep copies: one year in California, two in South Carolina and Tennessee, three in Maryland and New Jersey, six in Alabama.
- Specialist wording
West Virginia bars any claim to be a certified specialist, and BC bars "specialist" unless the Law Society authorizes it. Texas allows certification claims only through its own board or an organization that board accredits. Delaware lets lawyers say "specialist" if it isn't misleading but needs an approved, named certifier for "certified". Each guide says where its state falls.
- Results and testimonials
Nevada and Ontario set what a results disclaimer must say, Louisiana requires one such as "Results May Vary", and a North Carolina ethics opinion bans dollar amounts in client testimonials.
- Waiting periods
Florida waits 30 days for injury-related written contact, Maryland's statute and Tennessee's rule set 30 days, and Texas makes contact before the 31st day a crime. Tennessee's wait also covers new divorce filings.
Platform rules apply alongside all of these. What Google and Meta allow in law firm ads, whatever the state, is in our ad copy rules guide. The social media side is in social media rules for lawyers.
In our client work
Filing rules set the launch date, and the firm checks every ad before it runs.
When we build a Google Ads campaign, the firm checks the page and the ads for accuracy before anything runs. Its licenses and target areas decide which state guides that check should follow.
A Florida campaign has to allow for the 20-day filing clock, and a Louisiana one for the filing number that has to appear in each ad. In states without filing, a dated copy of every ad is still worth keeping: several rules require copies, and a copy settles questions later. Our Google Ads service page explains how a campaign is built. The Local Services Ads service page covers the other search channel.
One DUI firm we work with saw $13,500 generated from just $600 in advertising spend. The amount is the firm's result, not an ad claim.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
The jurisdiction mistakes we see most when firms bring us their ads.
Reading only the home state
A firm licensed in two states, or advertising into a neighbor, needs both rulebooks. Check every license and every target area.
Launching before filing
In Florida and Louisiana an ad can't simply run first. Build the filing into the launch date.
Copying ad text across states
A results line that's fine in one state can need a set disclaimer in the next. Read the row for each state the ad reaches.
Relying on an old summary
Georgia, Alabama and New York all changed their rules in 2025 or 2026. Check the date on whatever you're reading.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Results from firms we run ads for.
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.
Which states require lawyer ads to be filed?
Of the jurisdictions we cover, Florida (20 days before first use), Louisiana (at or before first use), Texas (within 10 days after first use) and Nevada (within 15 days) require filing, with exemptions in each. Kentucky offers an optional advisory opinion.
Do Canadian law societies review lawyer ads?
Not in the provinces we cover. Ontario, BC and Alberta have no filing or pre-approval step in their codes; their rules focus on what marketing may say.
Which state's rules apply if my ads reach another state?
Start with every state where your lawyers are licensed. Some states also apply their rules to ads directed at their residents; Alabama's rules say so expressly. When an ad crosses a border, read both guides.
Can lawyers call themselves specialists?
It depends on the jurisdiction. West Virginia bars certified-specialist claims and BC bars the word unless the Law Society authorizes it, while Delaware allows "specialist" if it isn't misleading and "certified" only with an approved certifier named. The guide for your state says which.
Why isn't my state in the table yet?
We write each guide from the regulator's own pages and have a second reviewer check every rule number, so the list grows in batches. The comparison of the main jurisdictions is in our advertising rules hub in the meantime.
Do these rules apply to AI search content and websites?
Yes. A website, an FAQ page or a directory profile that describes your services is a communication about them, and the rules against false or misleading communications cover it. Louisiana, for example, exempts websites from filing but still sets what a site must show. Our guide on how to show up in ChatGPT covers building those pages.
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. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Louisiana State Bar Association, Lawyer Advertising Filing
- State Bar of Nevada, Lawyer Advertising
- Supreme Court of Georgia, order amending Rules 7.1 to 7.5 (November 18, 2025)
- The Florida Bar, Ethics and Advertising
- State Bar of Texas, Advertising Review
- Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Rule 7.04 Filing Requirements for Advertisements and Solicitation Communications
- Kentucky Supreme Court Rules, SCR 3.130(7.03) Advisory opinions
- American Bar Association, Model Rules of Professional Conduct
- Federation of Law Societies of Canada, Model Code of Professional Conduct
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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