At a glance

Part VII separates general truthfulness, advertisements, solicitation and filing exemptions.

Rules 7.01-7.06

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)

Who regulates

The current Part VII rules were approved by State Bar members in a referendum held February 2 to March 4, 2021, and adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas effective July 1, 2021. The State Bar’s Advertising Review Committee reviews filed advertisements and solicitation communications, and it must report to the appropriate disciplinary authority any lawyer it reasonably believes, based on filings, disseminated a communication that violates Rules 7.01-7.03.

Rule 7.04 and Comment 1; Misc. Docket 21-9061

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021) · State Bar of Texas Advertising Review

What counts as advertising

Advertisements and solicitation are separately defined by audience, known legal need and substantial pecuniary motivation.

Rule 7.01(b)(1)-(2)

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII

Required disclosures

Ads identify a responsible lawyer and primary practice location. Contingency offers disclose expense liability. Required disclaimers must be understandable in each advertisement language. A lawyer who advertises a specific fee or fee range for an identified service must honor it while the ad is reasonably expected to be in circulation or effective, unless the ad states a shorter period, but is not bound for more than one year after publication unless the lawyer expressly promised to be.

Rules 7.02(a), (c), (d); 7.01(d)

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)

Filing, review & recordkeeping

Unless a Rule 7.05 exemption applies, file with the Advertising Review Committee no later than 10 days after an advertisement is disseminated, or 10 days after a solicitation communication is sent by any means: a copy in the form used, a completed application and the fee. Optional preapproval requires submission at least 30 days before first use. A finding of noncompliance does not bind a disciplinary proceeding; a finding of compliance binds in the lawyer’s favor if the material was fairly described. The State Bar lists a $100 application fee, says it may assess a $250 fine plus a $100 review fee for failure to comply with the filing requirements, and says failing to file a non-exempt ad is itself a rule violation. If the Committee asks, the lawyer must promptly submit information to substantiate statements made or implied in an advertisement or solicitation. Rule 7.04 sets no record-retention period; keeping copies, substantiation and review records is a good compliance practice. The State Bar also says an ad published before July 1, 2021 that complied with the prior rules need not be resubmitted.

Rules 7.04(a)–(c), 7.05

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021) · State Bar of Texas Advertising Review

Results, testimonials & comparisons

Avoid misleading expectations. If an advertised verdict was later reduced or reversed, or the case settled for less, the ad must state the amount the client actually received with equal or greater prominence; Comment 10 extends this to verdicts that were not collected. Claim credit only for results in which the lawyer played a substantial role. Rules 7.01-7.06 contain no testimonial-specific rule; testimonials fall under the general Rule 7.01(a) ban on false or misleading communications. Actors portraying clients can mislead; comparisons of services or fees need factual support.

Rule 7.01(a), (g), comments 3, 5, 7 and 10

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021) · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 22-9011, January 31, 2022

Specialization & certification

Organizational certification and special-competence claims require Texas Board of Legal Specialization approval/accreditation; truthful practice-focus descriptions are separately permitted.

Rule 7.02(b), Comments 3 and 5

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII

Firm, trade & domain names

Nonmisleading trade names are permitted. Firm and partnership descriptions must be accurate. A distinctive website address, email address or social media username is permitted only if it is not misleading and complies with the rules.

Rule 7.01(c), (f), comment 9

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII

Solicitation & direct contact

Soliciting professional employment from a non-client in person, or by live or electronically interactive telephone, social media or other electronic contact, is prohibited unless the target is another lawyer, a person with a family, close personal, or prior business or professional relationship with the lawyer, or a person the lawyer knows is an experienced user of that type of legal service for business matters. A solicitation communication must be plainly marked “ADVERTISEMENT” (with the same three exceptions) and must not be misleadingly designed to resemble a legal pleading or other legal document. Communications involving coercion, duress, overreaching, intimidation or undue influence are prohibited.

Rule 7.03(a)-(d)

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)

Rule 7.03(e) prohibits paying or giving anything of value to a nonlawyer for soliciting or referring prospective clients, while allowing reasonable advertising or public-relations fees, lawful referral-service charges, qualifying reciprocal arrangements and nominal appreciation gifts that are not compensation. Comment 13 permits paid leads only without a recommendation and consistently with fee-sharing, independence and truthfulness rules. A lead generator must not imply an unpaid referral or that it analyzed the person’s legal problem to choose a lawyer. Rule 7.03(f) separately prohibits giving or offering anything of value to a prospective client to secure employment, other than actual litigation expenses and financial assistance permitted by Rule 1.08(d), or ordinary social hospitality of nominal value.

Rule 7.03(e)–(f) and comment 13

Read source: Texas Rule 7.03(e)–(f) and comment 13 · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)

Rule 7.06 prohibits a lawyer from accepting or continuing employment in a matter procured by conduct prohibited by Rules 7.01 through 7.03, 8.04(a)(2) or 8.04(a)(9). Paragraph (a) covers the lawyer’s own conduct and conduct the lawyer ordered, encouraged or knowingly permitted. Paragraph (b) covers such conduct by members of or counsel to the lawyer’s firm, or people they directed, when the lawyer knows or reasonably should know of it. Under paragraph (c), a lawyer who did not violate (a) or (b) must not continue once the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that the person who procured the employment engaged in such conduct, unless nothing of value is given thereafter in return for that employment. Review the full rule before accepting a questionable referral.

Rule 7.06(a)–(c) and comments 1–4

Read source: Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)

Penal Code §38.12 separately addresses barratry and expressly includes social-media direct messages and other electronic solicitations. Subsections (a)–(b) cover specified solicitation, payment and knowing-acceptance conduct; subsection (c) excepts conduct authorized by the disciplinary rules or a court rule from prosecution under those subsections. Subsection (d) separately makes it an offense for attorneys and other listed professionals to send specified unsolicited communications, including recent accident/disaster and defendant contacts, represented people, opt-outs, and coercive or deceptive communications. Do not assume an electronic message is exempt.

Penal Code §38.12(a)–(d)

Read source: Texas Penal Code §38.12

Channel-specific notes

Website filing usually concerns homepage content, but the whole site must still comply with Rules 7.01 and 7.02. Certain educational or resume-style social posts are exempt from filing if they do not expressly offer services. Each Rule 7.05 exemption applies only if the item complies with Rules 7.01-7.03.

Rule 7.05(b), (g), Comment 2

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)

Texas Government Code §§81.151–81.156 separately govern television legal-services advertising, excluding ads by federal, state or local government entities. Required verbal and visual disclosures identify paid legal advertising, the sponsor and the responsible lawyer or referral process. Prescription-drug injury solicitations need the statutory physician-consultation warning. The law prohibits medical-alert or similar framing that suggests professional, medical or government-agency advice about medications or medical devices rather than legal services; misleading government-logo use; and describing a product as recalled unless a government agency recalled it or the recall occurred through an agreement between a manufacturer and government agency. A violation is a deceptive act actionable under Business & Commerce Code Chapter 17, Subchapter E, enforced by the attorney general’s consumer protection division or a district or county attorney; the subchapter creates no private cause of action. If the State Bar’s advertising review committee told the sponsor before first dissemination that the ad complies, enforcement first requires a demand to stop and a reasonable time to withdraw the ad. Check the exact statutory language before producing a television campaign.

Gov’t Code §§81.151–81.156, added by S.B. 1189, effective September 1, 2019

Read source: Texas Government Code, Subchapter J · Texas Legislature: S.B. 1189 (2019), enrolled text

Source check November 10, 2026: current codified Government Code sections 81.151–81.156 read directly, including the limitations and exceptions in section 81.152 and enforcement provisions in section 81.155.

Changes & research gaps

The Advertising Review page’s past-results update links to the January 31, 2022 order, which is already effective. The November 10, 2026 check of the current CDRR docket did not identify a new Part VII advertising proposal. That check is not a guarantee that no related legislation or court order is pending.

Misc. Docket 22-9011; Rule 7.01 Comment 10

Read source: Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 22-9011, January 31, 2022 · State Bar of Texas Advertising Review

Current check: Texas CDRR current docket

Source check November 10, 2026: the current CDRR docket and the court’s consolidated rules (cover effective March 7, 2025), including Part VII, were read. The docket check is bounded to that source and does not establish the absence of every related proposal or law.

Official sources

Use the court's Part VII rules with the State Bar filing guidance. The linked barratry and television-advertising statutes add requirements discussed above. Campaign-specific application, civil remedies and litigation affecting those laws still require review.

Rules 7.01-7.06

Read source: Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VII · State Bar of Texas Advertising Review · Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 22-9011, January 31, 2022

1. Texas Government Code, Subchapter JOfficial source checked November 10, 2026.
2. Texas Supreme Court: Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Part VIIofficial court rules · Checked November 10, 2026
3. State Bar of Texas Advertising Reviewofficial regulator guidance · Checked November 10, 2026
4. Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 22-9011, January 31, 2022official amendment order · Checked November 10, 2026
5. Texas CDRR current docketAdditional official source referenced in this guide; see the relevant section for scope and limitations.
6. Texas Penal Code §38.12Additional official source referenced in this guide; see the relevant section for scope and limitations.
7. Texas Supreme Court Misc. Docket 21-9061 (Part VII text, effective July 1, 2021)official adopting order with the full Part VII text · Checked November 10, 2026
8. Texas Legislature: S.B. 1189 (2019), enrolled textofficial enrolled bill adding Government Code Subchapter J · Checked November 10, 2026