The Iowa Supreme Court has approved amendments to rules that govern the way lawyers advertise in the state.
Iowa Judicial System spokesman Steve Davis says the changes are designed to bring the advertising rules for lawyers up-to-date, Davis says the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct mirror rules that have been adopted in Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. He says the use of advertising has advance in many ways.
Davis says the new rules adapt to the new ways that attorneys can reach the public, including the internet and other technology. One of the new rules requires any lawyer or law firm using a trade name or an internet address that does not mimic the name of the firm to disclose the name and address of one or more of the lawyers licensed to practice in Iowa.
Davis says this ensures that Iowans know the lawyer they are contacting works in Iowa. The changes are not just for the public.
“It will clarify the rules for the lawyers, it should make it easier for them to understand the rules and follow the rules as it is written,” Davis says. The new rules will take affect for Iowa lawyers on January first.