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New York Bar May Crack Down on Blogging Lawyers

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the barred-from-blogging dept.

An anonymous reader writes "While you might not guess it from watching late night TV, advertisements by lawyers are regulated by a web of regulations intended to protect potential clients from deceptive claims in such ads. Generally, these rules require lawyers to submit their ads to a review board, often with a filing fee paid with each new advertisement. The New York bar has proposed new rules which would define blogging as advertising. Should these rules be enacted, any New York lawyer who blogs on any legal topic in New York would be required to submit any new blog post to the New York Bar for review. For New York lawyers who write frequently updated blogs, this could force them to make multiple (and potentially expensive) reports to the New York Bar every single day."

8 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Or... by Reverend528 · · Score: 4, Funny
    this could force them to make multiple (and potentially expensive) reports to the New York Bar every single day.

    Or they could just stop blogging and do the job i'm paying them $100/hr to do.

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    Badass Resumes
    1. Re:Or... by EatHam · · Score: 4, Funny
      And lawyers don't have off-hours?
      No, they bill 84 hours per day.
  2. Missing the point by SpeedBump0619 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    For New York lawyers who write frequently updated blogs, this could force them to make multiple (and potentially expensive) reports to the New York Bar every single day.

    Don't be absurd. It won't force them to report more, it will force them not to update their web logs, which is, no doubt, the real point.
  3. Misleading article by nosredna · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Having read through the rule changes, this seems to be limited to actual solicitation for services. Legal commentary or discussion of legal issues isn't anywhere in this, that I could see.

    Basically, it applies the limitations currently in place for print and television ads to internet ads as well, which is a reasonable step to take... regulate all advertising, or regulate none.

  4. New York Bar May Crack Down on Blogging Lawyers by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Funny

    Did anyone else see this headline and think it was talking about some bar-room brawl aimed at lawyers that spread all over new york, then want to join in? Pass the bud and punch another lawyer!!

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    Qxe4
  5. Re:Who cares by Mr.+X · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is a mandatory bar that all lawyers admitted in New York State must join.

  6. Re:Your rights online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hardly.

    This is just one occupation that is being censored. Because it is lawyers, nobody will stand up and argue. But what other occupations can be censored to make sure that you have to have your information certified on your blogs? Medical blogs? Engineering blogs? Government watchgroup blogs that happen to have a lawyer on their staff? Nutritional blogs? Technology blogs?

    If this concept is slightly extended, anyone who has to be certified in any way will have to prove every statement they make on a blog is correct (and pay the fees to do so). There are a lot of jobs that require some sort of certification from the level of operating a nuclear reactor to the level of driving a truck.

  7. Help me! by jav1231 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I want to care about lawyers getting screwed but I'm too busy getting giddy over the thought of it.