Texas became the last state to abolish a prohibition on law firm trade names, cementing the nationwide trend toward relaxing lawyer ad rules.
The Texas standard adopted last week mirrors American Bar Association Model Rule 7.1, which allows trade names that aren’t “false or misleading,” a simplification and modernization applauded by legal ethics experts.
“The trade-name prohibitions are antiquated rules dating back to the early 20th century,” said Greg Beck, a litigator in Washington, D.C., with an expertise in commercial speech and lawyer advertising.
“Getting rid of them is good for competition and especially for interstate law practices,” Beck .
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