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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MARKETING 3.0: How <i>Bates</i> Changed the Future of Legal Practice

By Bruce W. Marcus
October 18, 2011

It's taken more than 30 years for the legal profession to overcome the long-standing tradition under which any form of frank marketing and promotional activity has been considered unacceptable.

Blame the Bates decision (Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, 1977), which not only introduced the concept of competition to the legal profession, and began creating law firm marketing as we know it today, but also began the evolutionary process that has altered the traditional nature and structure of the law firm. And continues to do so.

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