FLORIDA LAW FIRM FUTURE WEB SITE RULES SPARK ARGUMENTS FROM FLORIDA LAW FIRMS
As per a writing within the Florida Bar news, Eight main law firms “protested the recently proposed Supreme Court rules for web advertising in a 66-page comment to the court submitted just before the August 16 deadline.”
The Florida law firms that complained included Foley & Lardner, White & Case, Holland & Knight, and Carlton Fields. Many Florida law firms dislike the projected rules, because they’d confine a Florida law firm or Florida lawyer from having online testimonials, case summaries, and certain audio and visual content.
Rule 4-7.6 was submitted from the Florida Bar towards the Florida Supreme Court in June on the direction within the court after the court issued an order stating that all of the substantive lawyer advertising rules will be applicable to Florida Law websites. The court’s order signifies that Florida law firm internet sites cannot use past results, testimonials, and statements that characterize the quality of legal services. The proposed amendments would allow testimonials, past results, and other information in separate sections on Florida law firm websites.
The Florida Bar News says that these guidelines could involve entire overhauls of some Florida law firm web sites and re-programming of others, updates that law firms believed might cost millions of dollars for larger establishments.
Observations were also submitted by other Florida attorneys as well as the American Civil Liberties Union. One Florida lawyer said the anticipated set of laws had been too lenient.
Some dispute that Florida residents browsing the world wide web and looking out for lawful information from Florida law firms will be drawn to the greater attractive and easy to get to web sites offered through the non-Florida law firms, bypassing the very firms that Florida regulates.
Website ruling poses First Amendment considerations and can be a complex issue in the Florida Bar. Following an intensive study through the Florida Bar on Florida law firm web sites, the Florida Bar suggested into the court that the home page of Florida law firm web pages be subject to all marketing rules, understanding that the remainder of Florida lawyer websites be subject to qualify for the substantive marketing rules with definite three exceptions.
The Florida Supreme court rejected that move toward and ruled that Florida law firm online resources are subject to the final advertising rules contained in Bar Rule 4-7.2. Rule 4-7.2 prohibits Florida Lawyers from using testimonials, bearing on past results, or characterizing the quality of these legal services, which is often presented on Florida law firm internet sites.