Missouri lawyers deal with advertising changes

Three of the five Missouri Supreme Court rules that govern attorney advertising were revamped Sept. 19 in an effort to clarify the ethical foundation on which they stand.

“They’re intended to protect the integrity of the profession,” said Crista Hogan, executive director of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.

Changes to rules 4-1.1 through 4-7.3 address false and misleading advertising, general advertising and solicitation.

For example, lawyers must now include the phrase, “The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements,” in all forms of written and verbal advertisements.

While the rule changes are significant, they aren’t unusual.

Hogan said the SMBA didn’t hold a seminar to specifically address the rule changes in advertising but did address them during a general ethics seminar in October.

“Our rules of professional responsibility change subtly (every year),” she said.

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