Pennsylvania rules
What are Pennsylvania's rules on lawyer advertising after the 2024 amendments?
The October 2024 order rewrote Pennsylvania's Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and deleted 7.4 and 7.5. What changed, what every ad still needs, and why texting a prospect is now live contact.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Pennsylvania lawyers can advertise in any media, with no filing and no pre-approval, but every ad must name a responsible lawyer or firm with contact information and the city or town of the office where the lawyers doing the work practice. An October 15, 2024 order (54 Pa.B. 6696, effective 30 days later) rewrote Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and deleted Rules 7.4 and 7.5.
The changes that matter for marketing: the two-year ad record requirement is gone, lawyers can now claim a specialty they can objectively verify (with a "not certified" disclaimer, in one field only), and the solicitation rule now bans live person-to-person contact, which its comment says includes text messages. Fee, expense, endorsement and dramatization rules stayed, and they still trip up most ads.
Some of our client firms practice in Pennsylvania, and these are the rules we check a Pennsylvania firm's ads against. 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.
The 2024 amendments
The 2024 order moved Pennsylvania closer to the ABA model, but kept its own disclosure rules.
We compared the current Pennsylvania Code text with the version on the same official site in mid-2024. Six differences change how a firm markets.
| Topic | Before the order | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Ad records | Keep a copy of each ad for two years after last use, with when and where it ran (old 7.2(b)) | No record-keeping rule in Rule 7.2 |
| Specialist claims | Only with certification from a court-approved organization (old 7.4) | Certified, certified by another state's court ("not certified in Pennsylvania"), or an objectively verifiable claim with a "not certified" disclaimer, one field only (7.2(c)) |
| Solicitation | No in-person, phone or real-time electronic solicitation; written contact allowed (old 7.3(a)) | No live person-to-person solicitation, which comment (2) says includes text messages; targeted direct mail allowed (7.3(b), (c)) |
| Limited practice ads | Handle advertised cases "from intake through trial" or disclose that you don't (old 7.2(k)) | Advertised case types must be a principal part of the practice; no advertising to refer cases out (7.2(j)) |
| Contact information | Responsible lawyer named in the ad record | Every communication names a lawyer or firm with contact information; a website counts (7.2(k), comment (19)) |
| Firm names | Rule 7.5 | Rule 7.1 comments (5) to (8), which now mention website addresses and social media usernames |
Dropping the record rule doesn't mean dropping the records. A firm still has to show what an ad said if a complaint comes in, and online ads change weekly. We keep dated copies for every client anyway.
Required in every ad
Every Pennsylvania ad names a responsible lawyer or firm, gives contact information, and states the office city.
Rules 7.2(h) and 7.2(k) apply to all advertisements and written communications, with no exception for short formats.
- Office location (7.2(h))
Disclose, by city or town, the office where the lawyers who will actually do the work principally practice. If the office is outside a city or town, give the county. Comment (14) explains the purpose: a reader shouldn't assume the lawyer practices in their hometown when the office is elsewhere.
- Name and contact (7.2(k))
At least one lawyer or firm responsible for the content, with contact information. Comment (19) says a website address, phone number, email or office address all count.
For multi-office firms, the city has to match the lawyers doing the work. A Philadelphia ad that brings cases handled in Allentown names Allentown. That's a targeting and copy decision you make when you set up the campaigns, not after.
Fees, endorsements and portrayals
Fee claims, paid endorsements and anything not real each carry a disclosure in Pennsylvania.
Rule 7.2(e) to (g) survived the 2024 order nearly word for word. They're the rules most ads break.
- No fee without recovery (7.2(g)(1)): if the client will owe certain expenses in addition to the fee, the ad must say so.
- Advertised fees (7.2(g)(2)): a specific fee, hourly rate or range must be honored for at least 90 days, or one year for media published annually unless the ad says otherwise.
- Paid endorsements (7.2(e)): disclose that the endorser is paid or compensated. Endorsements by a celebrity or public figure are banned outright.
- Lawyer portrayals (7.2(f)): a nonlawyer may not portray a lawyer or imply being one.
- Dramatizations (7.2(f)): a client portrayed by a non-client, a reenactment of events, or "pictures or persons, which are not actual or authentic" need a disclosure that it's a dramatization.
Specialist claims
Pennsylvania lawyers may now say "specialist" without certification, if they can prove it and say they aren't certified.
Rule 7.2(c) has three routes. The third is new, and it comes with two conditions that most ads forget.
Certified by an approved organization (7.2(c)(1))
An organization approved by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's recommendation. Advertise it while both the certification and the approval are in effect, and name the organization (comment (7)).
Certified in another state (7.2(c)(2))
Name the certifying state, and unless you're also certified under route 1, say you're not certified in Pennsylvania.
Objectively verifiable (7.2(c)(3))
A claim based on experience, training or education that you can prove. Comment (8) lists the share of practice, years in the field, continuing education and how recent it is. Include a disclaimer that you're not certified in the claimed specialty, and claim only one field.
Patent practitioners may still use "patent attorney" and admiralty lawyers "proctor in admiralty" under 7.2(c)(4) and (5). Everything else answers to Rule 7.1. A firm that practices personal injury and workers' compensation can't claim to specialize in both under route 3.
Solicitation and texts
Texting a prospect who hasn't contacted you is live solicitation in Pennsylvania now.
Rule 7.3 defines solicitation as a message to a specific person you know needs help with a particular matter. Live person-to-person solicitation is banned; targeted mail is allowed.
- Texts count as live contact
Comment (2) defines live person-to-person contact as in-person, face-to-face, live phone and other real-time visual or auditory contact, and says it "includes text messages". Chat rooms and written messages people can easily ignore are not. The ABA's own comment treats texts the other way, which is why Pennsylvania firms can't copy national scripts.
- When a prospect contacts you first
Comment (1) says a message responding to a request for information isn't solicitation, and neither are websites, banner ads, TV or responses generated by electronic searches. Texting back someone who filled in your form is a reply, not a solicitation.
- Who you can never solicit
Rule 7.3(d) bars solicitation of someone who can't exercise reasonable judgment, anyone who has asked not to be contacted, anything coercive or harassing, and a named defendant or respondent in a domestic relations action until proof of service is on the docket. That last one matters for family law firms that mail after a filing.
Comment (6) adds a follow-up trap: if a lawyer sends a letter and gets no response, further attempts may violate the rule. Automated text sequences to purchased lists are the obvious risk; follow-up to people who asked to hear from you is different.
Paying for leads and co-op ads
Pennsylvania allows pay-per-lead and shared ads, with disclosure rules for each.
Rule 7.2(b) allows paying for ads, referral services and buying a practice. Its comments and paragraphs (i) and (j) handle everything in between.
- Lead generators (comment (4)): allowed if the generator doesn't recommend you, payment is consistent with Rules 1.5(e) and 5.4, and it doesn't imply it's recommending you, referring for free or analyzing the person's problem.
- Directories (comment (2)): listings by practice area, without more, aren't recommendations.
- Paying for another's ad (7.2(i)): if you pay toward an ad by a lawyer outside your firm or a for-profit entity, the ad names each paying lawyer or firm and its principal office, and explains how referrals are made.
- No ad-and-refer (7.2(j)): advertising for cases you mainly intend to refer out is misleading; comment (18) gives the example of referring all non-settling cases to another firm for trial.
Our guide to paying for leads and referrals puts Pennsylvania's comment next to New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois.
In our client work
When we build Pennsylvania ads, the office city and the fee wording are decided before any headline is written.
We check every Pennsylvania ad for the city, the responsible name, fee and expense wording, and images before it goes to the lawyer for approval.
Say a two-office injury firm with lawyers in Pittsburgh and Erie wants one search campaign across western Pennsylvania with "No Fee Unless We Win" and a stock photo of a family. The build we'd ship: two campaigns split by the office whose lawyers take the case, each with that city and the firm name in a description pinned to the first slot, the no-fee line only where the expense sentence fits, and no stock family.
There's nothing to file in Pennsylvania, so speed comes from doing it right once. We keep dated copies of every ad version even though the rule no longer requires it. A firm we work with that runs family law and criminal defense from two offices is the kind of setup where per-office city lines matter.
If you'd like this handled on your Google Ads account, or want the intake side set up so texts only go to people who asked, our systems work covers that. The ABA baseline these rules now follow is in our ABA Model Rules guide.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
The Pennsylvania issues we catch most in ads firms bring to us.
No office city in search ads
Rule 7.2(h) applies to every ad. The city of the office where the work is done goes in the ad, not only on the landing page.
"No fee" with no expense notice
If clients owe expenses in addition to the fee, Rule 7.2(g)(1) requires the ad to say so.
Stock people with no dramatization notice
Pictures of people who aren't actual or authentic need a dramatization disclosure under 7.2(f).
Texting cold leads
Comment (2) to Rule 7.3 counts text messages as live person-to-person contact. Text people who asked to be contacted, not lists.
Specialist claims across several fields
The verifiable-claim route allows one field, with a "not certified" disclaimer.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Multi-office and multi-practice setups where Pennsylvania's office-city rule shapes every campaign.
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.
What changed in Pennsylvania's lawyer advertising rules in 2024?
An October 15, 2024 order, effective 30 days later, rewrote Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and deleted Rules 7.4 and 7.5. The two-year ad record rule was removed, verifiable specialist claims became possible with a disclaimer, and solicitation now bans live person-to-person contact including texts.
Do Pennsylvania lawyers have to file ads?
No. Pennsylvania has no filing or pre-approval requirement for lawyer ads. The content rules in 7.1 to 7.3 still apply to every ad. Florida, Texas and Nevada are the states that require filing; our Texas guide shows how filing works there.
Do I still need to keep copies of my ads in Pennsylvania?
The old two-year record requirement in Rule 7.2(b) was removed by the 2024 order. We still recommend keeping dated copies, because you'll need to show what an ad said if anyone questions it, and online ads change often.
Can a Pennsylvania lawyer advertise as a specialist?
Yes, three ways under Rule 7.2(c): certification by a Pennsylvania-approved organization, certification under the court rules of another state where you're licensed, with a "not certified in Pennsylvania" statement, or an objectively verifiable claim with a "not certified" disclaimer, limited to one field.
Can my firm text people about their case in Pennsylvania?
You can reply to people who contacted you or asked for information. Texting someone you know needs help who hasn't contacted you is live person-to-person solicitation under Rule 7.3 and its comment (2). Our follow-up sequences guide covers consent rules for texts.
Does a Pennsylvania ad need a disclaimer for actors or stock photos?
Yes, if it shows a client portrayed by a non-client, reenacted events, or pictures or persons that aren't actual or authentic. Rule 7.2(f) requires a disclosure that it's a dramatization. A nonlawyer may not portray a lawyer at all.
Does Pennsylvania require "Advertisement" on targeted letters?
The current Rule 7.3 allows targeted direct mail under 7.3(c) and doesn't contain a labeling requirement in its text. The content rules of 7.1 and 7.2 apply, including the city and contact information. Compare state labels in our lawyer advertising rules hub.
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.
- Pennsylvania Code, 204 Pa. Code Rule 7.1, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services
- Pennsylvania Code, 204 Pa. Code Rule 7.2, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services: Specific Rules
- Pennsylvania Code, 204 Pa. Code Rule 7.3, Solicitation of Clients
- American Bar Association, Comment on Model Rule 7.3 (comment [2] on text messages)
- Pennsylvania Code, 204 Pa. Code Rule 7.4 [Reserved]
- Pennsylvania Code, 204 Pa. Code Rule 7.5 [Reserved]
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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