Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 7.2 · Chapter 7. Information About Legal Services
Advertising
Text — 2026 edition, as the State Bar of California publishes it (read October 22, 2026)
(a) Subject to the requirements of rules 7.1 and 7.3, a lawyer may advertise services through any written,* recorded or electronic means of communication, including public media.
(b) A lawyer shall not compensate, promise or give anything of value to a person* for the purpose of recommending or securing the services of the lawyer or the lawyer’s law firm,* except that a lawyer may:
(1) pay the reasonable* costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this rule;
(2) pay the usual charges of a legal services plan or a qualified lawyer referral service. A qualified lawyer referral service is a lawyer referral service established, sponsored and operated in accordance with the State Bar of California’s Minimum Standards for a Lawyer Referral Service in California;
(3) pay for a law practice in accordance with rule 1.17;
(4) refer clients to another lawyer or a nonlawyer professional pursuant to an arrangement not otherwise prohibited under these Rules or the State Bar Act that provides for the other person* to refer clients or customers to the lawyer, if:
(i) the reciprocal referral arrangement is not exclusive; and
(ii) the client is informed of the existence and nature of the arrangement;
(5) offer or give a gift or gratuity to a person* having made a recommendation resulting in the employment of the lawyer or the lawyer’s law firm,* provided that the gift or gratuity was not offered or given in consideration of any promise, agreement, or understanding that such a gift or gratuity would be forthcoming or that referrals would be made or encouraged in the future.
(c) Any communication made pursuant to this rule shall include the name and address of at least one lawyer or law firm* responsible for its content.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
Comment
[1] This rule permits public dissemination of accurate information concerning a lawyer and the lawyer’s services, including for example, the lawyer’s name or firm* name, the lawyer’s contact information; the kinds of services the lawyer will undertake; the basis on which the lawyer’s fees are determined, including prices for specific services and payment and credit arrangements; a lawyer’s foreign language ability; names of references and, with their consent, names of clients regularly represented; and other information that might invite the attention of those seeking legal assistance. This rule, however, prohibits the dissemination of false or misleading information, for example, an advertisement that sets forth a specific fee or range of fees for a particular service where, in fact, the lawyer charges or intends to charge a greater fee than that stated in the advertisement.
[2] Neither this rule nor rule 7.3 prohibits communications authorized by law, such as court-approved class action notices.
Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer
[3] Paragraph (b)(1) permits a lawyer to compensate employees, agents, and vendors who are engaged to provide marketing or client-development services, such as publicists, public-relations personnel, business-development staff, and website designers. See rule 5.3 for the duties of lawyers and law firms* with respect to supervising the conduct of nonlawyers who prepare marketing materials and provide client development services.
[4] Paragraph (b)(4) permits a lawyer to make referrals to another lawyer or nonlawyer professional, in return for the undertaking of that person* to refer clients or customers to the lawyer. Such reciprocal referral arrangements must not interfere with the lawyer’s professional judgment as to making referrals or as to providing substantive legal services. (See rules 2.1 and 5.4(c).) Conflicts of interest created by arrangements made pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) are governed by rule 1.7. A division of fees between or among lawyers not in the same law firm* is governed by rule 1.5.1.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 edition, as the State Bar of California publishes it (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://www.calbar.ca.gov/sites/default/files/portals/0/documents/rules/Rules-of-Professional-Conduct.pdf (PDF pages 63–64)
- Text hash
- sha256 c507a3e31052f840092da4066d7f4c038b27f8c8853d5087e4bf33a8bb6e2af2
- Composed by
- rpc/build 2026-10-22: the State Bar's 2026 PDF (pages 12-71) read by two readers, PyMuPDF glyph positions and pdfminer with the PDF's tagged structure, agreeing on 834 of 843 paragraphs character for character, the other nine (paragraph boundaries only) resolved against the rendered page; 205,485 printed glyphs accounted for; the State Bar's chapter pages a third reading
This rule cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
California Rules of Professional Conduct
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.5.1Fee Divisions Among LawyersPrinted as rule 1.5.1
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.7Conflict of Interest: Current ClientsPrinted as rule 1.7
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.17Sale of a Law PracticePrinted as rule 1.17
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 2.1AdvisorPrinted as rules 2.1 and 5.4(c)
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 5.3Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer AssistantsPrinted as rule 5.3
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 5.4Financial and Similar Arrangements with NonlawyersPrinted as rules 2.1 and 5.4(c)
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 7.1Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s ServicesPrinted as rules 7.1 and 7.3
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 7.3Solicitation of ClientsPrinted as rule 7.3 | rules 7.1 and 7.3
Cited by 3 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 7.2. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
California Rules of Professional Conduct
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 5.4Financial and Similar Arrangements with NonlawyersPrinted as rules 5.4(a)(4) and 7.2(b)
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 7.1Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s ServicesPrinted as rule 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 or 7.5 | rule 7.2
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 7.3Solicitation of ClientsPrinted as rules 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3(b)
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.