The Texas lawyer advertising rules sit in Part VII of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, and the current version took effect July 1, 2021.
This page walks through that text as of October 2026, from definitions through filing, ad content and solicitation.
It is the Texas companion to our guide to lawyer advertising rules; the ABA Model Rules are a template, and Texas writes its own.
What the Texas attorney advertising rules cover
Rule 7.01(b)(1) and (2) defines an "advertisement" as a communication that goes to the public in general, and a "solicitation communication" as one that goes to a specific person the lawyer knows or should know needs legal services in a particular matter.
Both definitions require that the communication be substantially motivated by pecuniary gain.
The filing rule covers both, the marking rule covers targeted written pieces, and the live-contact ban covers solicitation only.
Filing with the Texas bar's Advertising Review Committee
Unless an exemption applies, Rule 7.04(a) requires filing each advertisement and solicitation communication with the State Bar's Advertising Review Committee no later than 10 days after it is disseminated, with a copy, an application and a fee.
The State Bar lists the application fee at $100 as of October 2026, and filing runs through the Advertising Review Portal on My Bar Page.
The bar's Advertising Review page adds that an unfiled, non-exempt ad can draw a $250 fine plus a $100 review fee, that failing to file is itself a rules violation, and that the burden of showing a challenged ad's compliance sits with the lawyer.
Pre-approval runs the other direction: Rule 7.04(c) lets a lawyer ask the committee to review an ad at least 30 days before first dissemination, with a script or description accepted for unproduced ads.
A compliance finding binds in the lawyer's favor if the ad was fairly described; a noncompliance finding is not binding in discipline, and a substantive change to an approved ad takes a new application and fee.
Texas lawyer advertising filing, step by step
Check the exemptions first
Websites, informational social posts, and basics-only communications can sit outside filing.
File within 10 days after dissemination
Through the Advertising Review Portal, with a copy, an application and the $100 fee.
Or ask for pre-approval 30 days ahead
Optional under Rule 7.04(c); a script or description works for unproduced ads.
Rule 7.05(b) and comment 2 exempt website information and links from filing, except the homepage contents.
The site stays subject to Rules 7.01 and 7.02, and Rule 7.05(i) exempts basics-only pages like contact details, practice areas and initial-consultation fees.
Rule 7.05(g) exempts social posts that do not expressly offer legal services and are mainly informational, educational, political, artistic or entertainment, or mainly resume-type information.
Every exemption still requires meeting Rules 7.01 to 7.03, and a social post or paid social ad that expressly offers legal services sits outside the social-post one.
What every Texas ad must contain
Rule 7.02(a) requires every ad to name a lawyer responsible for its content and give that lawyer's primary practice location; a contingent-fee offer must also say whether the client pays expenses like litigation costs (Rules 7.02(a) and (c)).
- Responsible lawyer named, primary practice location given (Rule 7.02(a)).
- An advertised fee held up to one year unless expressly promised longer (Rule 7.02(d)).
- Past results restated at what the client actually received, when the outcome changed (Rule 7.01(g)).
- Certification claims in TBLS form, or naming a TBLS-accredited certifier (Rule 7.02(b)).
- Disclaimers easy to hear, or large enough and long enough to read, in broadcast and internet ads (Rule 7.01, comment 6).
Rule 7.01(g) requires a lawyer who advertises a verdict, knowing it was later reduced, reversed or settled for less, to state the amount the client actually received with equal or greater prominence.
Comment 10, amended by a Supreme Court of Texas order dated Jan 31, 2022, allows credit for a past result only when the lawyer played a substantial role; lead counsel or primary responsibility for the settlement qualifies.
Rule 7.02(b) allows certification claims only through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization or an organization TBLS has accredited, with the certifier named.
Comment 3 allows the softer version: saying a lawyer practices, focuses or concentrates in an area, when that is objectively based on experience, training or education.
The presentation comments to Rule 7.01 bite too: comment 3 says an actor's portrayal misleads when a reasonable person would take the actor for the lawyer, and comment 4 calls an ad misleading when it hides that respondents are likely to be referred out.
Disclosure wording across states is in attorney advertising disclaimers.
Solicitation: the live-contact ban, the ADVERTISEMENT label, the 31st-day statute
Rule 7.03(a)(1) bars soliciting a non-client in person or through regulated telephone, social media or other electronic contact, meaning live or electronically interactive contact.
The exceptions cover other lawyers, family, close personal or prior business or professional relationships, and experienced business users of the service.
Targeted written solicitations are not banned, but Rule 7.03(d)(2) requires an "ADVERTISEMENT" mark, presumed proper when a letter carries ADVERTISEMENT in 3/8-inch bold capitals on envelope and first page, a subject line begins with it, or a text or social message's first word is it.
The template is ABA Model Rule 7.3; the Part VII text is the version Texas lawyers answer to.
For injury cases a criminal statute sits on top: Penal Code §38.12(d) makes it an offense for a licensed attorney, among others, to send an unsolicited communication about personal injury, wrongful death, or an accident or disaster before the 31st day after the event, including by social media direct message.
The wording is "before the 31st day"; the subsection also bars soliciting defendants unless their suit has been on file more than 31 days, and contacting people who said they do not want contact (§38.12(e)).
A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor and a repeat offense a third-degree felony; the section was most recently amended by HB 2733, effective Sept 1, 2025.
Bar rules do not settle federal texting consent; there, the Eleventh Circuit vacated the FCC's one-to-one consent rule on Jan 24, 2025.
Rule 7.06 bars accepting or continuing a matter obtained through prohibited solicitation, by the lawyer, others in the firm, or a person the lawyer encouraged or permitted; comment 4 allows continuing a referred case the lawyer learns was obtained improperly only if nothing of value, such as a referral fee, is paid.
Paying for internet leads in Texas
The comments to Rule 7.03 permit paying for internet leads when the generator does not recommend the lawyer, the payment does not violate the fee-sharing and independence rules, and the generator's communications are not misleading.
A lawyer must not pay a generator that implies it is recommending the lawyer, implies it refers without being paid, or implies it has analyzed the person's legal problem.
Nominal thank-you gifts for referrals are permitted; gifts under an agreement or expectation of future referrals are not (comment 12).
Television ads: a second Texas law
Government Code chapter 81, subchapter J, effective Sept 1, 2019, applies to television ads that promote legal services or solicit clients.
Section 81.152 bars presenting those ads as a medical alert, health alert, drug alert or public service announcement.
Section 81.153(a) requires the opening statement, verbally and visually, that the ad is a paid advertisement for legal services, plus the sponsor and the responsible lawyer or firm or how cases are referred.
Enforcement is public, not private: the attorney general or district and county attorneys only, with enforcement limited when the committee approved the ad beforehand, subject to statutory conditions.
This page describes the Texas text as published by the State Bar of Texas and in Texas statutes, as of October 2026; confirm how a rule applies to your firm's ads with the State Bar of Texas's ethics counsel or an ethics lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
When must a Texas ad be filed with the State Bar?
Rule 7.04(a) sets the deadline at 10 days after the ad is disseminated, unless an exemption applies. Pre-approval from the Advertising Review Committee at least 30 days before first use is optional, not required.
What happens if a Texas lawyer runs an ad without filing it?
The State Bar's Advertising Review page says it may assess a $250 fine plus a $100 review fee for an unfiled, non-exempt ad, and that failing to file is a rules violation on its own.
Are law firm websites exempt from filing in Texas?
Rule 7.05(b) exempts website information and links from filing except the homepage contents, and Rule 7.05(i) exempts pages with only basics like contact details, practice areas and initial-consultation fees. The whole site remains subject to the content rules.
Are social media posts exempt from Texas filing?
Rule 7.05(g) exempts posts that do not expressly offer legal services and are mainly informational, educational, political, artistic or entertainment, or mainly resume-type information. A paid social ad that offers services is not covered by that exemption.
Can Texas lawyers pay for internet leads?
The comments to Rule 7.03 permit it when the lead generator does not recommend the lawyer, the payment stays clear of the fee-sharing and independence rules, and the generator's communications are not misleading.
Is there a waiting period before contacting accident victims in Texas?
Texas Penal Code §38.12(d) makes it an offense for a licensed attorney, among others, to send an unsolicited communication about personal injury, wrongful death, or an accident or disaster before the 31st day after the event. The bar rules separately bar live and interactive solicitation without any day count.