Brief Fact Summary. Petitioner wished to have the right to mail solicitations to “potential clients” drawn from a list of people who had recently had a foreclosure suit filed against them. The Kentucky Bar Association denied this request, and he now appeals.
Synopsis of Rule of Law. A blanket prohibition on lawyer advertising is a direct violation of the First Amendment protections afforded to commercial speech.
Issue. Is a blanket prohibition on targeted direct-mail solicitation by lawyers for pecuniary gain acceptable under the First Amendment?
Held. No. States should be able to craft far more narrow bans on certain kinds of potentially-misleading lawyer advertising than the rule being challenged here.
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