A New Orleans construction law firm filed a suit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of Louisiana's new rules governing lawyer advertising. The lawsuit argues that the rules unnecessarily restrict an attorney's right to speak freely about their trade, and specifically contents that "blogging" is not "advertising" that should be subject to regulation.
New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) November 25, 2008 -- This morning, Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C. filed a suit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of Louisiana's new rules governing lawyer advertising. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the enforcement of Louisiana's new advertising rules, scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2009. The Louisiana advertising rules are some of the most aggressive in the nation, and Wolfe Law Group's suit argues that the rules go too far and restrict an attorney's right to freely speak about its trade.
Wolfe Law Group argues that the new rules effectively prevent a lawyer from advertising its services through online mediums, such as Google's AdWords, as the rules also restrict an attorney's ability to engage in discourse with colleagues, clients and the public through online bulletin boards, blogs, twitter, and other online communities and forums.
The law firm that practices in the area of construction law out of its offices in New Orleans, Louisiana and Seattle, Washington, is actively engaged in the Internet marketplace, posting daily on sites like wolfelaw.com, Twitter, Facebook, Avvo.com, and similar Web 2.0 services.
The suit argues that Louisiana's new advertising rules would subject each of the firm's posts to an "evaluation" by the Louisiana State Bar Association, with an evaluation fee of $175.00.
According to a letter sent to Wolfe Law Group's colleagues and clients, "The new rules would stifle our firm's ability to continue talking with you about the legal profession, the construction industry and the evolution of construction law across the nation."
To continue commenting upon the progress of the action, the firm launched a blog titled "Blogging is Speaking," at the Web address http://www.protectspeech.com.
Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C. is a construction law firm with offices in Seattle, Washington and New Orleans, Louisiana. The federal suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Case No. 08-4994, Section F, Magistrate 2.
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[Via Legal / Law]
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