The Florida Bar has thrown a monkey wrench into legal marketing once again. Web sites have been treated as ‘information upon request’ for years, but the Supreme Court has decided that they must now comply with the advertising rules. Recognizing some of the confusion the new rule has caused, the Bar requested a six month moratorium on enforcement.
So what does it mean? For most firms, it simply means that any statements about results or client testimonials must either be removed, or put in an area where a visitor must read a page or pop-up that explains the type of information they’ll be viewing. If it includes verdicts or testimonials, the page must include a ‘past results are not necessarily representative of future results’ disclaimer.
To help with the transition, the bar has prepared these guidelines and a sample disclaimer.
Thank goodness the public is now safe from reading information that might actually help them select a good attorney.
