Ottawa, March 31, 2023 – The Canadian Bar Association introduced a new toolkit to familiarize lawyers with the rules and regulations of advertising in the legal profession and how they apply to different forms of advertisements. The Ethics of Advertising Toolkit can help lawyers make sure they are engaging in effective advertising of their legal services while adhering to rules and ethical standards.
Effective marketing is now considered necessary for a lawyer or firm to grow and thrive. Given the ethical repercussions of advertising, law societies have created specific rules to protect the public and prevent lawyers and firms from using irresponsible and misleading information. The document gives an overview of these rules, discusses common mistakes in legal advertising and explains the forms and pitfalls of traditional and modern advertising.
Quick facts
- The toolkit is an initiative of the CBA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Subcommittee.
- This toolkit is part of the CBA Business of Law Series, which also include the Retainers and Fees Toolkit that provides lawyers with best practices with respect to the financial aspects of retainers.
- The references to rules throughout the document are to the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s Model Code of Professional Conduct, noting that lawyers should always check for any important distinctions between it and the law society codes in different jurisdictions.
Quotes
“Legal advertising and marketing can secure greater access to potential clients, but it can also be accompanied with risks of negative effects and a host of legal and ethical issues. We hope this toolkit provides lawyers with a top-of-mind and efficient reference point to the rules of advertising in the legal profession and the accompanying ethical expectations to help them and their teams craft effective and ethical marketing messages.”
- Colin Ouellette, Chair of the CBA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Subcommittee
Links
The Ethics of Advertising Toolkit
CBA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Subcommittee
About the Canadian Bar Association
The CBA is dedicated to support the rule of law and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries in Quebec, law teachers and law students from across Canada are members.
For more information, contact:
Vanessa Racine
Manager, Media Relations and Public Affairs
613-237-2925 x153
vanessar@cba.or