ETHICS OPINION 225-1924

ETHICS OPINION 225

NUMBER 225 1924

Question. In the opinion of the Committee, is there any impropriety in a lawyer using the official organ of a club organized for advertising purposes? This advertising would appear in the form of a full page in loose-leaf binders located in branches of the club in various cities in the United States and abroad and also in a card showing his classification (counselor at law, attorney, or lawyer), and name and address on a bulletin board in his home city as well as similar card in a classified listing (counselor at law. attorney, or lawyer) in each issue of the magazine.

Would it make any difference in the Committee’s answer if the advertising of a simple professional card appeared in the magazine and in the loose – leaf binders under a heading “Where to get what you want. Information Service Particular at Clubs. Literature upon request.”

Answer. In the opinion of the Committee, the extent to which a lawyer may properly advertise is aptly expressed in Canon 27 of the Code of Ethics of the American Bar Association, which reads in part as follows:

The publication or circulation of ordinary simple business cards, being a matter of personal taste or local custom, or sometimes of convenience, is not per se improper, but solicitation of business by circulars or advertisements . . . is unprofessional. It is equally unprofessional to procure business by indirection through touters of any kind.

In the opinion of the Committee, the method of advertisement referred to in the question goes beyond this, and is improper.