Group Coupon Deals Allowed if Structured To Meet Model Rules, ABA Opinion Advises

Lawyers who want to market their legal services through group-coupon or deal-of-the-day programs may usually offer “coupon deals” that entitle a user to buy legal services at a discounted rate, but they may not be able to structure “prepaid deals” to comply with all the requirements of ethics rules, the ABA’s ethics committee concluded Oct. 21 (ABA Standing Comm. on Ethics & Prof’l Responsibility, Formal Op. 465, 10/21/13).

Prepaid deals for legal services are not inherently unethical but they present unique challenges, the committee said, especially in regard to proper handling of legal fees paid in advance. Coupon ...