Professional ads by mobile text? Florida says OK

The Florida Bar’s board of governors has given the green light for law firms to use cellphone text messages as a way of advertising to prospective clients, according to a September report in the ABA Journal.

Permission for lawyers to use text messages as a means of advertising was approved in just one state prior to the Florida decision: Ohio.

Text message advertising hasn’t been a welcomed idea by all. In fact, prior to its decision, Florida Bar’s board of governors rejected a recommendation by an advertising subcommittee to disallow text ads.

The ABA report notes that opponents, including many lawyers, are particularly concerned that law firms sending impersonal bulk ads to prospective clients’ phone numbers may tarnish the image of lawyers and instigate privacy issues.

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