Rule by rule
The requirements, and who carries each one
Every row separates three things: what the rule says, what we do about it, and what remains your firm's duty. The third column is the one no vendor can take off your hands.
The word “advertisement”Rule 4-7.18(b)(2)(B)
The face of the envelope and each separate enclosure must be clearly and conspicuously marked “advertisement.” A self-mailer carries the mark on the address panel, on the inside, and on each enclosure. An email's subject line must begin with “Advertisement.” The mark is clear and conspicuous if it is in larger and contrasting text relative to the other text on the page.
- What we do
- Full Service pieces are laid out with the marking on the envelope face and on every enclosure, sized and contrasted to meet the current test rather than the pre-2023 “contrasting ink” wording.
- What stays with your firm
- Approve the piece. If you print your own from the Feed, the marking is yours to add.
Say who you are and what you have doneRule 4-7.18(b)(2)(C)
Every targeted letter must include a written statement of the background, training, and experience of the lawyer or firm, including specific experience in the area of law the letter concerns. A lawyer referral service must include one for each lawyer the recipient may be referred to.
- What we do
- Full Service pieces carry the statement on every send. We lay it out; the facts in it come from you.
- What stays with your firm
- Write the statement and keep it accurate. Experience claims are subject to rules 4-7.13 and 4-7.14 like anything else in the piece.
A sample contract says “SAMPLE,” in redRule 4-7.18(b)(2)(D)
If a contract for representation goes out with the letter, the top of each page must be marked “SAMPLE” in red ink, one type size larger than the largest type in the contract, and the client signature line must read “DO NOT SIGN.”
- What we do
- If your piece includes a contract, every page is marked to this rule before it prints.
- What stays with your firm
- Decide whether to enclose a contract at all. This is the one place the rules still require red ink.
It cannot look like a court documentRule 4-7.18(b)(2)(E)
Written communications must not resemble legal pleadings or other legal documents.
- What we do
- Pieces are designed as letters from a law firm. No case captions, seals, “notice” headers, or anything styled to look like it came from a court.
- What stays with your firm
- Approve the design, and hold any later changes to the same standard.
Say if someone else will handle the caseRule 4-7.18(b)(2)(F)
If a lawyer other than the one whose name or signature appears on the letter will actually handle the matter, or the matter will be referred to another lawyer or firm, the letter must say so.
- What we do
- If it applies, the statement goes into the template once and prints on every piece.
- What stays with your firm
- Tell us who actually handles these cases, and tell us when that changes.
Say how you found themRule 4-7.18(b)(2)(G)
A communication prompted by a specific occurrence must disclose how the lawyer obtained the information prompting it, specifically enough for the recipient to understand the extent of the lawyer's knowledge. The Bar's own commentary says a criminal defense mailer complies if it states that the lawyer's only knowledge of the matter is the recipient's name, contact information, date of arrest, and charge.
- What we do
- This is where naming our sources pays off twice. Because every record traces to a named county clerk, the disclosure on the piece is a statement of fact we can support rather than a hedge.
- What stays with your firm
- Keep the disclosure accurate if you write your own copy — it has to match what you actually know.
Nothing on the outside of the envelopeRule 4-7.18(b)(2)(H)
The communication must not reveal on the envelope, or on the outside of a self-mailer, the nature of the recipient's legal problem.
- What we do
- Charge, statute, and case data live inside the piece. Nothing about the matter is printed on the outer surface.
- What stays with your firm
- Check the proof before the first run, and any time the design changes.
Who you may not write toRule 4-7.18(b)(1)(B)–(D)
A lawyer may not send a targeted written solicitation where the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that the recipient is already represented by a lawyer in the matter, that the recipient does not want to receive communications, or where the communication involves coercion, duress, fraud, overreaching, harassment, intimidation, or undue influence.
- What we do
- Records are deduplicated against your prior sends, and suppression lists you give us are applied on every run before delivery.
- What stays with your firm
- Tell us who to suppress, and stop mailing anyone who asks you to.
File it 20 days before first useRule 4-7.19(a)
An advertisement must be filed with The Florida Bar for evaluation at least 20 days before its first dissemination, subject to the Rule 4-7.20 exemptions. As of July 14, 2025 the fee is $150 for a timely filing and $250 for one that is not timely. Filings can be submitted through the MyFloridaBar member portal.
- What we do
- We produce the piece and the file you submit, on a schedule that leaves the 20 days intact. We can have the creative ready well before the first mail date so the clock is never the thing holding up a launch.
- What stays with your firm
- File it, pay the fee, and be the filer of record. This is a duty of the lawyer and it cannot be delegated to a vendor.
The 15-day safe harborRule 4-7.19(b)
If The Florida Bar sends no communication to the filer within 15 days of receiving a complete filing — or within 15 days of receiving requested additional information — the lawyer is not subject to discipline by the Bar for that advertisement.
- What we do
- We build launch timelines around the evaluation window instead of pretending it is not there, so the first send date is set after you have your response or your 15 days.
- What stays with your firm
- Track your own filing date and keep the Bar's response. The safe harbor is yours, not ours.
Keep a copy for three yearsRule 4-7.19(j)
A lawyer must retain a copy or recording of each advertisement for three years after its last use, along with a record of when and where it was used. For an identical mass mailing, that means one retained copy plus a list of the names and addresses of everyone it was sent to.
- What we do
- Full Service assembles both per send: the piece as it went to print, and the recipient list behind it. You get them as a deliverable rather than reconstructing them from postage receipts two years later.
- What stays with your firm
- Retain them for the full three years. The retention duty is the lawyer's.
The 30-day rule, and why it is not thisRule 4-7.18(b)(1)(A)
Written solicitation is prohibited for 30 days following an accident or disaster in personal injury and wrongful death matters. It is the rule most firms have in mind when they assume direct mail is off limits.
- What we do
- We do not sell accident or wrongful-death records. Traffic, DUI, and criminal filings are not within the 30-day restriction, which is why mailing on a daily cadence is possible at all in this practice area.
- What stays with your firm
- If your firm also runs PI work, keep those programs and their timing separate from this one.
What the copy may not doRule 4-7.13 / 4-7.14 / 4-7.15
Advertisements may not be deceptive or inherently misleading (4-7.13), may not be potentially misleading — including unsubstantiated comparisons, unsubstantiated characterizations of past results, or implied specialization without certification (4-7.14), and may not be unduly manipulative, such as exploiting a person's vulnerability or using dramatizations likely to mislead (4-7.15).
- What we do
- Copy we write avoids result claims, superlatives, and comparison language, because none of it can be substantiated in a first-contact letter to someone who was arrested last week.
- What stays with your firm
- Sign off on the final wording. If you want a claim in the piece, you have to be able to back it up.
Say who you are and where you areRule 4-7.12
An advertisement must state the name of at least one lawyer, the law firm, or the lawyer referral service responsible for its content, and the city, town, or county of one or more bona fide office locations.
- What we do
- Firm name and office location are part of the template, not something added per send.
- What stays with your firm
- Give us a bona fide office location, and tell us when it changes.
