After 30 Years, Law Firm Advertising Is Slow to Change

In the early days of attorney advertising, law firms created ads to demonstrate their unparalleled integrity and resourcefulness. Some three decades later, law firms are creating ads to demonstrate their unparalleled integrity and resourcefulness. Although firms themselves have undergone profound changes since the U.S. Supreme Court decided 30 years ago this month that even lawyers were entitled to free speech, the profession's advertising manner and message ' especially among the larger firms ' have evolved very little in those 30 years, according to many industry observers. Some of the sameness is due to ethics rules, aimed to protect the public, that rein in unfounded claims and hyperbole. But most of the advertising vanilla, say observers, comes from risk aversion and a fear of flash that persist among law firm decision-makers.