On September 30, 2015, a Florida federal court held that the Florida advertising rule that prohibits an attorney from truthfully stating that he or she specializes in a specific field of law is a violation of the First Amendment and therefore unconstitutional.
The rules currently require that a lawyer may only claim a specialization or expertise when the lawyer has been certified under the Florida Certification Plan, or by an organization whose specialty certification program has been accredited by the American Bar Association or the Florida Bar; or the lawyer has been certified by another state bar if the state bar program grants certification on the basis of standards reasonably comparable to the standards of the Florida Certification Plan. The opinion explains that, “the state cannot prevent a person from advertising a lawful specialty, even if the state’s own definition of the specialty is different.”
The issue is one of several in the Searcy, Denny law firm’s suit against the Florida Bar. The claim partially derives from the fact that not every field of law has a board certification. Therefore, according to the Florida rule, an attorney who specializes in mass torts or unsafe products cases is not permitted to truthfully state that he specializes in these fields, because there is no board certification available.
Florida has some of the most detailed advertising rules in the country; however, the rule at issue is a common one. It will be interesting to see whether other states amend their rules in accordance with the Florida opinion.
For more information on the recent decision, click here. To read the opinion click here.
