At a Glance

• Primary rules: Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 through 7.5, with the solicitation definition in Rule 9.1(r).
• Responsible party: Advertising under Rule 7.2 must identify at least one responsible lawyer or law firm and include an office address.
• Targeted outreach: Rule 7.3 restricts in-person, live telephone and real-time electronic solicitation. Certain targeted written, recorded and electronic communications require “Advertising Material.”
• Specialization: Alaska restricts “specialist,” “certified” and similar claims. The principal certification route requires an ABA-accredited specialty certification program.
• Filing and retention: Rules 7.1 through 7.5 do not establish a general advertising filing requirement or fixed advertising-retention period.
• Review date: November 12, 2026.

Rules 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.5, 9.1(r)

Read source: Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct

Who Regulates

The Alaska Supreme Court adopts the Rules of Professional Conduct. The Alaska Bar Association’s disciplinary system investigates and addresses alleged misconduct under the Alaska Bar Rules. Bar Counsel processes grievances and investigates alleged attorney misconduct, and the Disciplinary Board and Supreme Court have roles in disciplinary decisions.

Alaska also gives adopted ethics opinions a distinct place in its framework. Bar Rule 9(a) includes ethics opinions adopted by the Bar’s Board of Governors among the standards lawyers must follow. Those opinions should be identified as opinions rather than quoted as the text of a Professional Conduct Rule. Informal guidance from Bar Counsel is different: Bar Rule 11.1(d) expressly describes it as advisory and nonbinding.

An out-of-state lawyer who offers legal services in Alaska may be subject to Alaska disciplinary authority. Multistate campaigns also require a choice-of-law review under Rule 8.5.

Alaska Court Rules; Alaska Bar Rules, Rules 9–11.1; Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 8.5

Read source: Alaska Court Rules · Alaska Bar Rules · Rules of Professional Conduct

What Counts as Advertising

Rule 7.1 governs all communications about a lawyer’s services. Rule 7.2 permits advertising through written, recorded or electronic communications, including public media, subject to Rules 7.1 and 7.3. Website copy, paid search ads, social media posts, directory listings, videos and printed materials therefore need the same truthfulness review as traditional advertisements.

Rule 9.1(r) defines solicitation as a targeted communication initiated by a lawyer, directed to a specific person, that offers or reasonably appears to offer legal services. General public advertising, responses to requests for information and communications automatically generated in response to Internet searches are excluded from that definition. A campaign’s label does not determine its treatment: changing a public post into a private, lawyer-initiated pitch can change the applicable rules.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 7.1, 7.2(a) and 9.1(r), and comments

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct

Required Disclosures

Rule 7.2(c) requires any communication made under that rule to include the name and office address of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content. The rule specifies an office address, not simply a telephone number or website.

For communications soliciting employment from someone known to need legal services in a particular matter, Rule 7.3(c) requires “Advertising Material” on the outside envelope, if any, and at the beginning and end of recorded or electronic communications. The rule exempts recipients who are lawyers or have a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer. Its comment also excludes responses to requests from potential clients or their representatives and explains why general personnel or office announcements do not trigger this targeted-solicitation requirement.

Other disclosures depend on the claim. Certification communications must name the qualifying certifying organization. Multijurisdictional office listings must identify the relevant licensing limitations of lawyers not admitted where the office is located. A statement that a fee is contingent must not mislead the reader about responsibility for costs or other expenses. Rule 1.5 separately governs the written fee agreement; satisfying an advertising disclosure does not replace that agreement.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 1.5(b)–(c), 7.2(c), 7.3(c), 7.4(b) and 7.5(b)

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct

Filing, Review & Recordkeeping

The current text of Rules 7.1 through 7.5 does not require lawyers to submit every advertisement for advance approval or retain all advertisements for a specified number of years. That is a limited statement about these advertising rules, not an exemption from other recordkeeping or business requirements.

A practical review file should preserve the advertisement as actually displayed, dates and channels of use, support for material claims, client permissions, targeting criteria and arrangements with marketing vendors. This is a recommended compliance practice, not a fixed retention period imposed by Rules 7.1 through 7.5.

Bar Rule 11.1 permits members to request informal guidance about their own active or pending conduct. The guidance depends on the facts supplied, is not binding approval, and may be used as evidence of good faith or reasonable diligence in a later disciplinary matter involving the same facts.

Separately, the Department of Law identifies registration and disclosure requirements for covered telephonic sellers, with exemptions that require careful review. A firm considering a telephone campaign should resolve those requirements before launch rather than treating the absence of an advertising filing rule as permission to proceed.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 7.1–7.5; Alaska Bar Rules, Rule 11.1; Department of Law telemarketer registration guidance

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct · Alaska Bar Rules · Department of Law telemarketer registration guidance

Results, Testimonials & Comparisons

Rule 7.1 prohibits material misstatements and misleading omissions. It also expressly prohibits communications likely to create reasonable but unjustified expectations about results, claims of results obtainable through improper means, and comparisons with other lawyers that cannot be factually substantiated.

A real settlement, verdict or testimonial can still mislead when it suggests that other clients should expect the same result. The comment recognizes that appropriate qualifications or disclaimers may prevent misleading impressions. A disclaimer is not a substitute for a truthful headline or adequate context.

Alaska Bar Ethics Opinion 2020-02 addresses testimonials publicizing amounts recovered for clients. It requires informed client consent and explains why a publicly available judgment does not automatically eliminate confidentiality concerns. The opinion recommends confirming consent in writing as the most prudent practice while recognizing that Rule 1.6 does not expressly require written consent for this purpose. Current Rule 1.6 protects client confidences and secrets and directs lawyers to resolve uncertainty against disclosure. Rule 1.9 continues protection for former clients.

For professional rankings, Ethics Opinion 2009-2 permits references to selections when the advertisement identifies the publication, year and practice area if specified. Present the actual selection rather than turning a publication’s ranking into an unsupported claim of superiority. The opinion distinguishes paying for a listing or advertisement from paying to be selected, and says the Bar is not endorsing the ranking organizations.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 1.6, 1.9(c) and 7.1; Ethics Opinion 2020-02; Ethics Opinion 2009-2

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct · Ethics Opinion 2020-02 · Ethics Opinion 2009-2

Specialization & Certification

Rule 7.4 permits a lawyer to say that the lawyer does or does not practice in particular fields. It restricts statements or implications that a lawyer is a “specialist,” “certified,” or uses words of similar import.

The rule allows a lawyer admitted to patent practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office to use “Patent Attorney” or a substantially similar designation. It also allows communication of certification as a specialist by a named organization or authority when that organization’s specialty certification program is accredited by the American Bar Association.

Alaska did not adopt the Model Rule’s separate admiralty designation exception. Experience in an area, membership in a practice section or an award should not be presented as qualifying specialist certification. Review biographies, badges, page titles and structured descriptions as carefully as the main page text.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.4 and comment

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct

Firm, Trade & Domain Names

Rule 7.5 allows nonmisleading trade names but prohibits names implying a connection with a government agency or public or charitable legal services organization. Its definition of “professional designation” expressly includes website addresses and other electronic references identifying the firm.

A firm with offices in multiple jurisdictions may use the same name, but office listings must disclose relevant jurisdictional limitations. A lawyer’s name cannot remain in firm communications during a substantial period of public service when the lawyer is not actively and regularly practicing with the firm. Claimed partnerships and other organizational relationships must actually exist.

Alaska expressly reserves “of counsel” for a lawyer with a close continuing relationship to the firm. The Alaska comment explains that merely forwarding or receiving legal business does not qualify. It also warns that a sole practitioner should not use “and associates” or other language falsely implying a group practice.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.5(a)–(f) and comments

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct

Solicitation & Direct Contact

Rule 7.3(a) prohibits soliciting professional employment through in-person, live telephone or real-time electronic contact when a significant motive is pecuniary gain, unless the recipient is a lawyer or has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer. Alaska’s text expressly includes real-time electronic contact; do not assume that a digital format removes this restriction.

Even otherwise permitted solicitation is prohibited when the recipient has told the lawyer not to solicit or the contact involves coercion, duress or harassment. The comment warns that additional efforts after an unanswered letter or other communication may violate these limits. This requires judgment rather than an automatic follow-up sequence.

Rule 7.3(d) contains a limited exception for participation in a prepaid or group legal service plan operated by an organization the lawyer does not own or direct. The plan’s personal or telephone solicitation must target people not known to need legal services in a particular matter covered by the plan. The comment adds that participating provider lawyers cannot themselves undertake the plan’s personal contact.

Telephone outreach also requires review of applicable statutes and federal rules. Alaska’s Department of Law flags do-not-call protections, automated or recorded calls, opening disclosures and telephonic-seller registration. Those requirements have their own definitions and exceptions.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.3 and comments; Department of Law telemarketing guidance; registration guidance

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct · Department of Law telemarketing guidance · registration guidance

Channel-Specific Notes

A website or social profile does not avoid the rules because a vendor wrote the text. Apply the disclosure, substantiation, confidentiality, firm-name and solicitation rules to each relevant communication, including testimonials, direct messages and landing pages.

Rule 7.2(b) generally prohibits giving value for recommendations. Its exceptions include reasonable advertising costs, usual charges of a legal service plan or nonprofit or qualified lawyer referral service, a law-practice purchase under Rule 1.17, and permitted reciprocal referrals. Reciprocal referral agreements must be nonexclusive and disclosed to the client.

The Rule 7.2 comment permits paying for leads only when the generator does not recommend the lawyer, its communications comply with Rule 7.1, and the payments comply with Rules 1.5(e) and 5.4. A lawyer cannot pay a generator that implies it recommends the lawyer, refers without payment, or has analyzed a person’s legal problem to decide which lawyer should receive the referral.

Rules 5.3 and 5.4 require attention to nonlawyer supervision, protected client information, fee sharing and independent professional judgment. Review what a platform actually tells consumers and how it charges, not just whether it calls itself an advertising service.

Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 5.3, 5.4 and 7.2(b), and comments

Read source: Rules of Professional Conduct

Recent Changes & Scope

Source review: November 12, 2026. The court’s current compilation records the latest amendments to Rules 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 as effective October 15, 2017, and the current versions of Rules 7.4 and 7.5 as effective April 15, 2009.

The court’s recent-change and post-publication order listings reviewed on that date did not identify a later advertising-rule amendment. Its current request for comments concerned eviction-related changes. This is a bounded check of those official listings, not a representation that no other proceeding or law could affect a campaign.

The telephone-law discussion identifies issues from official Department of Law guidance, not an independent analysis of the complete current statutes. It does not provide statutory clearance. Check the current statutes, exceptions and campaign facts before using telephone outreach.

Court rules and current proposals; Supreme Court orders; Alaska consumer-law source list

Read source: Court rules and current proposals · Supreme Court orders · Alaska consumer-law source list

Official Sources

Read the official rules alongside other applicable law and obtain campaign-specific advice.

1. Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct: binding rule text, amendment histories and explanatory comments.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
2. Alaska Bar Rules: disciplinary authority and informal ethics guidance.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
3. Alaska Court Rules: current compilation, recent changes and proposals.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
4. Supreme Court orders: post-publication rule orders.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
5. Ethics Opinion 2009-2: adopted May 5, 2009, addressing ranking references.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
6. Ethics Opinion 2020-02: adopted October 26, 2020, addressing client recoveries and consent.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
7. Adopted ethics-opinion index: official listing of Bar opinions.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
8. Department of Law telemarketing guidance and registration guidance: official agency guidance, not substitutes for statutory text.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026
9. Alaska consumer laws: official links to relevant statutes and regulations.Official source · Checked November 12, 2026

General information, not legal advice. This guide does not replace the complete rules, exceptions or review of a particular advertisement by qualified counsel. Source checks are not legal approval.