Are Young Associates Losing Out in the Legal Industrys 'New Normal'?
In 1987, the Supreme Court published R.1:19-3 which established an Advertising Committee. Among other responsibilities, it was (1) to provide advisory opinions to insure compliance of attorney advertising with New Jerseys Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) and (2) to adopt appropriate guidelines consistent with the RPCs. The standard for determining compliance with the RPCs, in accord with United States and New Jersey Supreme Court ethics decisions, requires the committee to determine whether the marketing of an attorneys services, as communicated to the public, are primarily informational. Attorneys marketing their services may not compare their services or fee structure with other attorneys. This comparison restriction was abandoned by the ABA in its model rules but in 2004, our Court declined to follow the ABAs lead and continued the comparison restriction.