Two new proposed ethics opinions would prohibit lawyers from participating in certain types of advertising offered by Google that record phone calls between lawyers and potential clients, and from taking possession of photographs portraying a minor engaged in sexual activity, ...

Tagged with: Advertising Ethics

Right Rev. Charles G. vonRosenberg v. Right Rev. Mark J. Lawrence (Lawyers Weekly No. 001-043-17, 10 pp.) (Motz, J.) No. 15-2284, Feb. 21, 2017; USDC at Charleston, S.C. (Houck, J.) 4th Cir. Holding: In this dispute between two clergymen, each ...

Tagged with: Advertising

I recently advised a caller on the content of an advertisement that he wanted to place in order to provide notice that his practice was for sale. There were some specific content ideas that I suggested to do this more effectively, but it occurred to me that in a more general way they applied not just to selling a practice, but generally to selling a lawyer’s services through the use of advertisements.

Tagged with: Advertising

Rosetta Stone Ltd. v. Google Inc. In language-learning company Rosetta Stone’s trademark infringement suit against Google over use of the Rosetta Stone mark in Google’s online advertising platform, the 4th Circuit vacates summary judgment for Google on plaintiff’s claims for direct infringement, contributory infringement and dilution of plaintiff’s mark, but upholds summary judgment for Google on claims of vicarious infringement and unjust enrichment under Virginia law.

Tagged with: Advertising Intellectual Property Trademark

A drawing for a grand prize to lure in customers is something more often associated with car dealers than law firms. But a firm in North Carolina has plans to do exactly that. Those plans are the subject of an ...

Tagged with: Advertising Ethics N.C. State Bar

Watch the pop-ups. That's the word from the N.C. State Bar's Ethics Committee, which is looking into the use of live-chat services on attorney websites - specifically, whether the use of a live-chat button would violate Rule 7.3(a), which provides that an attorney may not solicit business by "in-person, live telephone or real-time electronic contact." A staff opinion discussed at Thursday's Ethics Committee meeting says that it's fine for a lawyer to use a live-chat support service, the kind that typically features a button accompanied by "Click here to chat live online."

Tagged with: Advertising Ethics Ethics Committee Internet Websites

Ever seen those e-mailed “deals of the day” that offer discounts on everything from manicures to margaritas at businesses in your area? You’ve probably never seen one offering 50 percent off an attorney’s services, but one N.C. family law firm ...

Tagged with: Advertising Ethics N.C. State Bar

You've seen them for sale at convenience stores and gas stations - those tabloid-size papers that feature the confused and dazed countenances of everyone who has been arrested that week, a parade of mug shots with criminal charges listed below each picture. In the Triangle, Charlotte or Triad areas, the tabloid is The Slammer, published by Isaac Cornetti of Raleigh, a 30-something entrepreneur who says he's trying to entertain and inform. But in Pitt County, a tabloid called the Jailbird that bills itself as "your local weekly mugshot newspaper," was until recently was owned by two Greenville defense attorneys.

Tagged with: Advertising Criminal Practice Ethics Ethics Committee

Internet marketing is nothing new, but a few attorneys in North Carolina are trying a tactic that has caught the attention of the N.C. State Bar. It works like this: A lawyer purchases a keyword or a phrase though Google's AdWords service so that when a consumer types in that keyword or phrase, the attorney's ad pops up on the screen along with the search engine results. Attorney J. Mark Wilson (pictured) believes the marketing tactic could lead to possible trademark infringement cases.

Tagged with: Advertising Ethics Committee Ethics Opinion Internet legal marketing Trademark Infringement

Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. That's Latin for I screwed up big-time. I was so sure I was on solid ground back in July when I wrote a column taking on those guys who solicit business from people who've gotten traffic tickets. You know, the traffic-ticket firms who get lists of folks who have committed some minor infraction and then send them letters that seemed designed to scare the bejeezus out of them. Hire us, they say, or you'll be in worse trouble than you imagined.

Tagged with: Advertising Traffic Law traffic stop