Texas rules
Which Texas lawyer ads must be filed, and what must they say?
Texas files ads after they run, not before: within 10 days, $100 each. What's exempt, what every ad must say, and the criminal 31-day rule on injury contact.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
In Texas, a lawyer advertisement that isn't exempt is filed with the State Bar's Advertising Review Committee no later than 10 days after it first runs (Rule 7.04(a)), with a $100 application fee. Website pages other than the homepage, informational social posts, and ads limited to the basic facts listed in Rule 7.05(i) don't need filing.
Every ad names a lawyer responsible for it and the lawyer's primary practice location (Rule 7.02(a)). Ads that offer contingent fees say whether the client pays other expenses (7.02(c)). Separately, Penal Code 38.12 makes it a crime to contact someone about an injury or accident claim before the 31st day after it happened.
Texas is the state that surprises firms used to Florida, because the filing comes after launch. 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.
Two kinds of communication
Texas sorts lawyer marketing into advertisements and solicitation communications.
Rule 7.01(b) defines both. Which one you're sending decides the filing deadline, the labels and whether contact is allowed at all.
- Advertisement
A communication motivated by money, made to the public in general, offering legal services where the lawyer doesn't know the recipients need help in a particular matter. Search ads, Local Services Ads, Meta ads, billboards and TV fit here.
- Solicitation communication
A communication to a specific person who hasn't sought the lawyer's help, offering services the lawyer knows or should know that person needs in a particular matter. Letters to people named in accident reports or arrest records are the classic examples.
- Neither
Comment 8 to Rule 7.01 says statements not substantially motivated by pecuniary gain, such as know-your-rights education by a nonprofit, aren't advertisements or solicitation communications. They still can't mislead.
Filing
Texas files within 10 days after first use, unless Rule 7.05 exempts the ad.
Rule 7.04(a) requires the ad, a completed application and the fee no later than 10 days after dissemination. Filing first is optional, and it buys protection.
| Marketing | Filed? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Website homepage | Yes, unless its content is all exempt | 7.05(b) and comment 2 |
| Other website pages and links | No | 7.05(b) |
| Social posts that don't expressly offer services and are mainly informational or educational | No | 7.05(g) |
| An ad with only the facts listed in 7.05(i): names, addresses, phone, hours, practice areas, bar admission, education, languages, TBLS certification, consultation fees, required disclosures | No | 7.05(i) |
| Paid search, Local Services Ads and paid social ads with anything beyond 7.05(i) | Our reading: yes, within 10 days after first use | 7.04(a) |
| Solicitation letters, emails and texts | Yes, within 10 days after sending; one sample of a form letter is enough | 7.04(a) and comment 2 |
| Newsletters only to clients, former clients, lawyers or people who asked | No | 7.05(e) |
- Fee and portal
The State Bar's Advertising Review page says the application fee is $100. Filings go through the Advertising Review Portal on the lawyer's My Bar Page, where you can upload media, pay and track status.
- What not filing costs
The same page says that if the Bar finds a non-exempt ad that wasn't filed, it may assess a $250 fine and a $100 review fee, and that failing to file is itself a violation of the disciplinary rules.
- Pre-approval, if you want certainty
Under Rule 7.04(c), you may submit an ad, or a script for one not yet produced, at least 30 days before first use. A finding of compliance binds in your favor if you described the ad fairly; a finding of noncompliance isn't binding in a disciplinary case.
- Changes
The Bar's page says a substantive change to a previously approved ad needs a new application and fee.
Required content
Every Texas ad names a responsible lawyer and a primary practice location.
Rule 7.02 sets what an ad must include. Rule 7.01 adds the misleading-communications test and two Texas-specific results rules.
| Requirement | Rule | In a Google or Meta ad |
|---|---|---|
| Name of a lawyer responsible for the ad, and the lawyer's primary practice location | 7.02(a) | A firm name alone may not be enough; we name the lawyer |
| Contingent fee ads state whether the client pays other expenses, such as litigation costs | 7.02(c) | "No fee unless we win" needs the expenses statement in the same ad, or it comes out |
| Advertised fees honored while the ad is in circulation, up to one year | 7.02(d) | Don't put a flat fee in an ad you'll forget to pause |
| Required statements in each language the ad uses | 7.01(d) | A Spanish ad carries its statements in Spanish |
| If an advertised verdict was reduced, reversed, never collected or settled for less, state the amount received with equal prominence | 7.01(g) | Another reason verdicts stay out of short ads |
Comment 10 to Rule 7.01, changed by a Texas Supreme Court order the Bar flags on its Advertising Review page, adds that a lawyer may claim credit for a judgment or settlement only after playing a substantial role, a standard met by serving as lead counsel or being primarily responsible for the settlement.
Comment 3 covers actors: an actor portraying the lawyer is misleading if a reasonable viewer would think it's the lawyer, and whether a "dramatization" label fixes that depends on how clear it is. The same goes for actors playing clients, which matters for personal injury video ads.
Specialist and certified
Only Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification can be advertised as certification.
Rule 7.02(b) lets a lawyer say what fields they practice in, but bars claiming certification or special competence except through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization or an organization it accredits.
- A TBLS-certified lawyer may say "Board Certified, [area of specialization] -- Texas Board of Legal Specialization" (7.02(b)(1)).
- Comment 3 permits saying a lawyer practices, focuses or concentrates in an area, if it's objectively based on experience, training or education.
- Membership in an organization whose name implies special competence can be advertised only if TBLS has accredited it (7.02(b)(2) and comment 2).
- Rule 7.05(i)(2) lists areas in which lawyers "practice, concentrate, specialize, or intend to practice" among the facts an exempt ad may contain. We still keep "specialist" out of ads for Texas firms: it reads as a certification claim to many people, and the plain wording works as well.
Solicitation and the 31-day law
Texas limits contact with prospects twice: in the bar rules and in the Penal Code.
Rule 7.03 governs how a lawyer may contact a specific person. Penal Code 38.12 makes some of that contact a crime, and it reaches beyond lawyers to anyone acting for them.
| Type of contact | Disciplinary rule | Penal Code 38.12(d) |
|---|---|---|
| In person, live phone, or live interactive social media or electronic contact | Banned with non-clients, except lawyers, family, close or prior relationships and experienced business users (7.03(b)) | Also covered when about an injury, death or accident before the 31st day |
| Letters and emails to a specific person | Allowed, marked "ADVERTISEMENT" and filed within 10 days (7.03(d)(2), 7.04(a)) | Banned before the 31st day after the accident or disaster for injury and death matters |
| Social media direct messages | A solicitation communication if it offers services for a matter you know about; live or interactive exchanges fall under 7.03(b) | Named in the statute: "a direct message on a social media platform" |
| Paying a non-lawyer for referrals | Banned, except reasonable advertising and PR fees, the usual charges of a lawyer referral service that meets Texas law, and nominal gifts (7.03(e)) | Not part of subsection (d) |
Under 38.12(g) and (h), a violation of subsection (d) is a Class A misdemeanor, and a felony of the third degree for a repeat conviction. Subsection (d)(2)(C) adds a 31-day wait for contacting defendants in a newly filed lawsuit, including divorce. The section was last amended by H.B. 2733, effective September 1, 2025. If your firm or a vendor sends anything to people named in accident reports, filings or arrest records, our paying for leads guide and ABA Formal Opinion 501 in our Model Rules guide explain why the vendor's conduct is yours.
A worked example
A hypothetical Texas launch: file after, or pre-approve before.
Every date, ad and number below is invented to show the timing. It is not a result.
What we do for Texas firms
We write Texas ads so the name, location and expenses line fit before anything else.
When we build a Texas campaign, the required lines go in first and the selling copy fills the space left. That order matters in a 90-character description.
Pin the responsible lawyer and location
One description names the lawyer and the practice location and is pinned to description position 1, which Google says always shows. We don't rely on the business name asset, which doesn't show every time.
Decide the fee line
If the expenses statement doesn't fit in the same ad, "no fee unless we win" stays out. Contingent fee wording never goes in criminal defense or divorce ads, since ABA Model Rule 1.5(d) bars contingent fees for criminal defendants and fees contingent on securing a divorce or on support amounts.
Hold anything a reviewer could question
Results, ratings, awards, "expert" and "specialist" are flagged for a decision, not written in by default.
List the filings and the 10-day deadline
The pre-launch review shows which ads must be filed and when. The lawyer approves every ad before it runs, and pre-approval is offered when a firm wants certainty first.
Keep vendors off the phone
No outreach to people from accident or arrest lists, by anyone acting for the firm. Our intake work starts only when the person contacts the firm.
We see the same thing in every state we work in: the plain version of an ad converts. A US DUI solo's Local Services Ads made $13,500 from $600 in ad spend with copy that made no claims a bar could question. Our criminal defense marketing page and Google Ads service show how we build for that practice.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
Texas mistakes we see most in accounts firms bring to us.
Assuming Texas works like Florida
Texas files after first use, within 10 days. Waiting 20 days before launch isn't required, but missing the 10-day window is a violation.
Naming only the firm
Rule 7.02(a) asks for the name of a lawyer responsible for the ad and the primary practice location.
"No fee unless we win" with no expenses line
Rule 7.02(c) requires saying whether the client pays other expenses in the same ad.
Forgetting the homepage
Other website pages are exempt; the homepage is filed unless its content is all exempt.
Letting a vendor message accident victims
Penal Code 38.12 names direct messages on social media, and the 31st-day rule applies to anyone acting for the lawyer.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Results from ads with no claims a bar would question: a US DUI solo on Local Services Ads (the story doesn't name the state).
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.
How long do I have to file a lawyer ad in Texas?
No later than 10 days after the ad is first disseminated, under Rule 7.04(a). If you want pre-approval, submit at least 30 days before first use under Rule 7.04(c).
What is the Texas Bar's advertising review fee?
The State Bar's Advertising Review page says the application fee is $100. It also says the Bar may assess a $250 fine and a $100 review fee for a non-exempt ad that wasn't filed.
Do I have to file my law firm website in Texas?
Only the homepage, and not even that if everything on it is exempt under Rule 7.05. Information and links on other pages are exempt under 7.05(b). The whole site must still meet Rules 7.01 and 7.02.
Do Texas Facebook posts have to be filed?
Posts that don't expressly offer legal services and are mainly informational or educational are exempt under Rule 7.05(g). Paid ads that offer services are advertisements, so our reading is that they're filed unless limited to 7.05(i) content. Our social media rules guide covers posting generally.
Can a Texas lawyer advertise as a specialist?
Certification can be advertised only through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization or an organization it accredits, in the wording Rule 7.02(b) sets. Saying you practice, focus or concentrate in an area is allowed when it's objectively true.
When can a Texas lawyer contact an accident victim?
Penal Code 38.12(d) bars written, phone, in-person and social media direct message contact about a personal injury, wrongful death or accident claim before the 31st day after it happened, unless the person sought the lawyer out. Ads to the general public aren't that kind of contact.
Will you file our Texas ads for us?
We plan every filing into the launch and list the deadline next to each ad; the lawyer approves and signs off on what's filed. Schedule a consultation to talk through your Texas campaigns.
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.
- State Bar of Texas, Advertising Review
- State Bar of Texas, New Advertising Rules FAQ (effective July 1, 2021)
- Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Rule 7.01 Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services
- Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Rule 7.02 Advertisements
- Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Rule 7.03 Solicitation and Other Prohibited Communications
- Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Rule 7.04 Filing Requirements for Advertisements and Solicitation Communications
- Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Rule 7.05 Communications Exempt from Filing Requirements
- Texas Legislature, Penal Code Chapter 38 (Section 38.12)
- American Bar Association, Model Rule 1.5: Fees
- Google Ads Help, About responsive search ads
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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