Lawyer Advertising Rules in NY State: Make Lots of `Close' Friends

Effective February 1, 2007, here are the new lawyer advertising rules in New York State:

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/rules/attorney_ads_amendments.shtml

It will be interesting to see how the Office of Court Administration (OCA) defines "close friend" since lawyers will be allowed to solicit only "a close friend, relative, or former or existing client." Hey, can't a "close" friendship be one way? Can't wait to see how this is enforced. These rules set the profession backwards at a time when many more lawyers and law firms were just starting to grasp business development and technology. The OCA made these rules in an attempt to restore "integrity" to the profession. But if that was one of the goals, it would have been better for the OCA and the many bar associations around New York State to expand their own use of marketing, advertising, media relations and the Internet to educate the public about professional ethics and attorney discipline, client rights when engaging an attorney, and how citizens can navigate a very confusing court system. That would do far more for the reputation of the profession than these draconian rules.