Lawyers Can Advertise Other Degrees Held, Ohio Board Says

Lawyers holding other degrees can advertise their credentials as long as they’re not false or misleading, the Ohio Supreme Court’s ethics board said in a recent opinion.

The crux of the opinion is Ohio Rule of Professional Conduct 5.7, which provides that lawyers who provide law-related services may be bound by the ethics rules.

Rule 5.7 intended to protect against a client’s misunderstanding of the type of services the lawyer is providing, according to Comment [1].

To that end, the board said that a lawyer is bound by Rule 7.1, regardless of whether the lawyer is practicing law. That rule ...