Does an attorney’s LinkedIn profile necessarily constitute attorney advertising?
In analyzing whether a LinkedIn profile is advertising, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York Committee on Professional Ethics Formal Opinion 2015-7 (“Opinion”) applied the New York Rules of Professional Conduct’s definition of an advertisement, which is “any public or private communication made by or on behalf of a lawyer or law firm about that lawyer or law firm’s services, the primary purpose of which is for the retention of the lawyer or law firm.”
The Committee concluded that if the primary purpose of an attorney’s LinkedIn profile is not to attract new clients, it is not advertising. So, how does an attorney define primary purpose? The Opinion explains that if the following criteria are met then a LinkedIn profile is advertising:
- It is communication made by or on behalf of the lawyer;
- The primary purpose of the LinkedIn content is to attract new clients to retain the lawyer for pecuniary gain;
- The LinkedIn content relates to the legal services offered by the lawyer;
- The LinkedIn content is intended to be viewed by potential new clients; and
- The LinkedIn content does not fall within any recognized exception to the definition of attorney advertising
The Opinion’s elaboration on each of the criteria may be found here.
So what do you do if your LinkedIn profile is considered an advertisement?
The Committee noted that a LinkedIn profile that constitutes advertising must comply with all of New York’s attorney advertising rules, including, but not limited to, the inclusion of the label “Attorney Advertising” legibly placed on the profile along with the name, principal law office address, and telephone number of the attorney. Additionally, the advertisement must not be deceptive or misleading.
The Committee also cautioned attorneys to personally “pre-approve” their advertisements, and reminded them that LinkedIn is considered to be a “computer-accessed communication” and thus must be retained for at least one year in accordance with New York’s attorney advertising rules.
The Opinion is novel in that it is the first ethics advisory opinion to conclude that all attorney LinkedIn webpages (or other social media profiles) are not necessarily advertisements. It will be interesting to see whether other bar associations and state bars follow New York City’s lead.
