What were lawyers not allowed before 1977?

In the opinion of some, lawyer advertising is simply not professional. If this surprises you, it wasn't until 1977, in the case of Bates v. the Arizona State Bar Association, 433 WS. Please wait a moment and try again.

All that changed with the case of Bates v. Bates v. the United States Supreme Court in 1977. They practiced for approximately two years and then decided that they couldn't survive unless they could generate a large flow of business. To generate this flow of business or “attract customers”, they published an advertisement in February 1976 in a newspaper, The Arizona Republic.

The advertisement stated that they offered legal services at very reasonable prices and indicated the fees they charged for certain services.

Richard Cebula, a national expert in economic analysis, conducted an empirical study on how the advertising of lawyers affects the image of lawyers.

In accordance with the guidelines of the American Bar Association (ABA), advertising remained restricted to business cards, some of which could indicate the lawyer's name, address, telephone number and areas of practice. More than 30 years ago, two Arizona attorneys decided to establish a legal clinic that would serve middle and lower class consumers. He told the Supreme Court that rich people knew how to access lawyers because they moved in the same social circles.

The court found that, since bankers and engineers are allowed to advertise, young lawyers should also be able to do so. Prepaid legal service is a relatively new concept that allows a group of people to hire an attorney to provide services at a “reasonable price.” There's a generation of lawyers who couldn't imagine not being allowed to advertise their availability. For many lawyers in the United States, 1977 was a long time ago, but to this day, a significant percentage of lawyers are still opposed to advertising lawyers, even if it's done to the letter. This figure is based on studies by the United States Bar Association, according to which the practicing lawyer has approximately 1,365 hours a year to practice law and that the average lawyer practices his practice with 50 percent of general expenses.

He acceded to his request, examined the appeal, and, on June 27, 1977, ruled that Arizona's ban on advertising lawyers violated the First Amendment's guarantees of freedom of commercial expression. To the chagrin of these established lawyers, the court's ruling went so far as to argue that advertising should be allowed “to help the new competitor penetrate the market.” When the client comes to the attorney's office and explains the details of the case, there is a likelihood that the fees will be substantially higher as the client becomes deeply involved in the case.