California attorney advertising rules come from two layers: Rules 7.1 to 7.5 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, effective November 1, 2018, and the Legal Advertising article of the Business and Professions Code, sections 6157 to 6159.2, which Senate Bill 37 amended effective January 1, 2026.
This page walks through both layers as of October 2026; the model rules behind them are in lawyer advertising rules.
What SB 37 changed on January 1, 2026
Rule 7.2(c) requires every advertising communication to carry the name and address of at least one responsible lawyer or firm.
Since January 1, 2026, section 6157.2(b) has also required ads to show conspicuously the name of a California-licensed lawyer, firm, certified referral service or joint advertiser, plus the city, town or county of a bona fide office or the address of record.
Section 6157.2(b)(3) gives character-limited platforms a path: name the joint advertiser and link clearly to a landing page carrying all the disclosures, making the page part of the disclosure chain.
Section 6157.2(a)(6) bars referring to recognition by, or awards from, an organization unless the award is not given simply for membership and no fee is charged or asked for it.
- A California-licensed lawyer, firm, certified referral service or joint advertiser named conspicuously, with a city or address of record (section 6157.2(b)).
- The costs disclosure on contingency-fee ads (section 6157.2(a)(4)).
- No guarantee or warranty of success (section 6157.2(a)(1)).
- Disclosed client portrayals and dramatizations, disclosed spokesperson titles, no impersonating a lawyer, no immediate-cash or quick-settlement claims (section 6157.2(a)(2) to (3) and (5)).
- Awards not given for membership and involving no fee (section 6157.2(a)(6)); payer relationships disclosed (section 6157.3).
Rule 7.1: the content standard
The California Supreme Court approved the current rules on May 10, 2018, effective that November 1; Rule 7.1(a) prohibits false or misleading communications about the lawyer or the lawyer's services, including truthful statements that omit a fact needed to avoid being misleading, and Comment [1] says the rule covers "all communications of any type whatsoever".
Guarantees: Comment [2] says an express guarantee or warranty of a result is false or misleading, and section 6157.2(a)(1) bars ads with a guarantee of success.
Fees: Comment [3] says a "no fee without recovery" statement is misleading unless it also says whether the client owes costs, and section 6157.2(a)(4) requires contingency-fee ads to carry that disclosure.
Results and testimonials: Comment [4] says truthful reports of results, and testimonials or endorsements, may mislead if they lead a reasonable person to expect the same result regardless of the facts, and that an appropriate disclaimer "often avoids" unjustified expectations; other states' conditions are in lawyer testimonial rules.
The model version is broken down in ABA Model Rule 7.1.
The Rule 1-400 standards still quoted online are retired
Rule 7.1(b) lets the State Bar's Board of Trustees adopt standards for communications presumed to violate Rules 7.1 to 7.5; those standards operate only as presumptions in discipline cases, though adopted ones are "effective and binding on all lawyers".
The 16 standards dominating search results, including the familiar testimonial disclaimer wording, belong to former Rule 1-400(E), listed under Previous Rules; former Rule 1-400(F) likewise required keeping ads two years, where section 6159.1 requires one.
Whether the Board has adopted any under current Rule 7.1(b) is not confirmed by these sources, so read any "California presumption standards" list with that in mind.
Solicitation: Rule 7.3
Rule 7.3(a) bars soliciting by in-person, live telephone or real-time electronic contact when pecuniary gain is a significant motive, unless the person is a lawyer or has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer.
Rule 7.3(b) also bars soliciting anyone who has said they do not want it, or solicitations involving intrusion, coercion, duress or harassment.
Comment [1] draws the boundary: a communication is not a solicitation when it is directed to the general public (billboard, internet banner, website, TV ad), answers a request for information, or is auto-generated in response to internet searches.
Rule 7.3(c) is where the "Advertisement" label comes from: targeted written, recorded or electronic solicitations must say "Advertisement" or similar on the envelope, and at the beginning and end of recorded or electronic messages.
Rule 7.3(f) bars soliciting a domestic violence restraining order respondent until the respondent has been served and proof of service is on the docket; Comment [5] ties the rule to the risk early solicitation poses to the petitioner.
Specialists and referral payments
Rule 7.4 bars a "certified specialist" claim unless the lawyer is currently certified by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization or another State Bar-accredited entity, with the certifier named; "specializes in", "is limited to" and "is concentrated in" are allowed, subject to Rule 7.1.
Rule 7.2(b) bars giving anything of value for recommending the lawyer, with exceptions for reasonable advertising costs, the usual charges of a legal services plan or a qualified lawyer referral service, and gifts not tied to future referrals.
Comment [3] permits paying marketing vendors such as publicists, business-development staff and website designers, and reciprocal referral arrangements must be non-exclusive with the client informed.
Section 6157.4 requires referral-service ads to disclose whether panel lawyers paid more than a proportional share of actual cost; the ABA-side analysis of paid leads is in attorney referral fees and lead generation ethics for lawyers.
The presumptions for TV, radio and computer networks
For ads in electronic media, the law presumes three kinds of message false or misleading: case results presented out of context, depictions of injuries or accident scenes, and messages referring to money received or potential recovery.
The statute defines the medium as "television, radio, or computer networks"; the presumptions are rebuttable, not bans, and these sources do not settle how a court has applied that phrase to any specific platform.
An ad portraying a result must disclose that it depended on the facts or explain the facts, and that disclosure alone may not rebut the presumption; names, fields of practice, schools and bar memberships sit on the presumed-compliant side in section 6158.2.
Damages, withdrawal deadlines and recordkeeping
Consumer statutory damages per unique ad
Since January 1, 2026, section 6157.2(c) has let a consumer misled by a violating ad sue for statutory damages of $5,000 to $100,000 per unique ad, or three times actual damages, plus attorney's fees.
Three things must happen first: a State Bar complaint, a substantial-evidence finding, and the advertiser's failure to withdraw.
Section 6158.4 sets the deadlines: 9 days after service to withdraw voluntarily, 21 days for the Bar to decide, and 72 hours for an electronic-media ad to be withdrawn once a substantial-evidence finding issues.
Any California resident may also bring a civil action for up to $5,000 per violating broadcast; whoever pays for an ad soliciting legal employment keeps a true and correct copy of it for one year.
A pre-publication read against the California text
Place the message
Comment [1] separates general-public communications, answers to information requests and auto-generated search responses from targeted solicitations, changing what Rule 7.3(c) requires.
Test the content against Rule 7.1
Nothing false or misleading, no material omission, no guarantee, and any "no fee without recovery" line paired with the costs disclosure.
Check result ads against the presumptions
Results out of context, injury depictions and money-recovery messages in electronic media are presumed misleading, and the section 6158.3 disclosure alone may not rebut that.
Save the copy
Section 6159.1 requires a true and correct copy kept for one year.
More Booked Cases tests law firm websites and landing pages and measures consultation and signed-case rates with read access to intake numbers; it does not review ads against bar rules or staff intake.
Before an ad or landing page goes live in California, confirm how these sections apply to it with your state bar's ethics counsel or an ethics lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Does California require ads to carry an 'Advertisement' label?
Not ads in general. Rule 7.3(c) requires targeted written, recorded or electronic solicitations to say 'Advertisement' or similar words on the envelope, and at the beginning and end of recorded or electronic messages, while Comment [1] says a communication directed to the general public, such as a billboard, internet banner, website or TV ad, is not a solicitation.
How long must a California lawyer keep copies of ads?
Business and Professions Code section 6159.1 requires whoever pays for an ad soliciting legal employment to keep a true and correct copy for one year. The two-year figure you may find quoted is former Rule 1-400(F), which is no longer in effect.
Can a California ad promise results or say 'no fee without recovery'?
Comment [2] to Rule 7.1 says an express guarantee or warranty of a result is false or misleading, and section 6157.2(a)(1) bars ads with a guarantee or warranty of success. Comment [3] says a 'no fee without recovery' statement is misleading unless it also says whether the client will be liable for costs.
What is the penalty for a misleading lawyer ad in California?
Since January 1, 2026, section 6157.2(c) has let a misled consumer sue for statutory damages of $5,000 to $100,000 per unique ad, or three times actual damages, plus attorney's fees, after a State Bar complaint, a substantial-evidence finding, and the advertiser's failure to withdraw the ad. Any California resident can also bring a civil action for up to $5,000 per violating broadcast under section 6158.4(e).
Can California lawyers use client testimonials?
Comment [4] to Rule 7.1 says truthful reports of results, and testimonials or endorsements, may mislead if they lead a reasonable person to expect the same result regardless of the facts, and that an appropriate disclaimer or qualifying language often avoids that. The current rule text sets no exact disclaimer wording; the wording often quoted online belongs to former Rule 1-400(E), which the State Bar lists under Previous Rules.