Tag Archives: ProtectSpeech.com

Scott Wolfe Quoted in Forbes.com Article on Louisiana Lawyer Advertising Regulations

On July 29, Judge Feldman heard oral arguments from plaintiffs and defendants on the constitutionality of Louisiana’s new lawyer advertising regulations.

The new regulations are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2009, and last week’s hearing allowed all parties to present arguments on their respective motions for summary judgment. The judge took the matter under advisement, and will render a decision “without delay.”

Scott Wolfe Jr. and Wolfe Law Group are plaintiffs in the federal litigation. Their suit alleges that the new regulations unconstitutionally restrict attorney speech and advertising on the Internet.

More details about the July 29th proceeding is available in an article published on Forbes.com: Lawyers Say Limits On Their Ads Unconstitutional. The article quotes our own Scott Wolfe, who presented oral argument for the plaintiffs at the hearing.

Louisiana Ad Rules Pushed Back 6 Months, WLG Files Motion for Summary Judgment

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Wolfe Law Group announces the filing of a Motion for Summary Judgment in its challenge of the Louisiana lawyer advertising rules, and the Louisiana Supreme Court announces that the effective date of the rules are postponed until October 1, 2009.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (WolfeLaw) February 19, 2009 — Yesterday, the Louisiana Supreme Court announced that the new lawyer advertising regulations would take effect on October 1, 2009, rather than the previously announced effective date of April 1, 2009.

According to the press release, “the Court has decided to defer implementation of the new rules until October 1, 2009, in order to allow the LSBA and the Court to further study certain rules in light of the constitutional challenges that have been raised.”

As many of our clients and friends know, Scott Wolfe Jr. and Wolfe Law Group filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board in November 2008 to challenge the new lawyer advertising regulations as unconstitutionally restricting a lawyer’s right to free speech.

On the evening before the Louisiana Supreme Court press release, Wolfe Law Group, along with consolidated Plaintiffs Public Citizen, Inc., William Gee, and Morris Bart, had filed Motions seeking Summary Judgment. The Motion of Scott Wolfe Jr. and Wolfe Law Group is available for viewing on our JDSupra page, here.

Notwithstanding the Louisiana Supreme Court’s postponement of the advertising regulations, the Summary Judgment motions are currently set for hearing on March 4, 2009 at 10:00 A.M.

To continue commenting upon the progress of the action, the firm launched a blog titled “Blogging is Speaking,” at the web address http://www.protectspeech.com. The blog was updated this morning with a new look, and more user-friendly layout.

For a copy of the lawsuit, click here.

Find the cause on Facebook here.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, Case No. 08-4994, Section F, Magistrate 2.

About Wolfe Law Group:
Founded in post-Katrina New Orleans in 2005, Wolfe Law Group is a boutique construction law practice with offices in Seattle, Washington and New Orleans, Louisiana. The firm operates a blog on construction law matters titled the Construction Law Monitor, and prides itself on thinking different in the legal profession.

Contact
Jessica Hunter, director of public relations
Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C.
206-801-1600
http://www.wolfelaw.com

Press Links:
Media Center: http://media.wolfelaw.com
Press Releases RSS Feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/wlgmedia
Firm Site: http://www.wolfelaw.com

Scott Wolfe on This Week In Law Podcast

Scott Wolfe, Jr., founder of Wolfe Law Group, was a guest host on This Week in Law’s December 16, 2008 Podcast, “Getting In Trouble on the Internets.” Scott was invited to speak about the firm’s recent federal suit against the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (WolfeLaw.Com) December 16, 2008 — Scott Wolfe was a guest host on the 19th episode of the This Week in Law podcast. The podcast title, “Getting in Trouble on the Internets” discusses Obama’s BlackBerry issues, blogging vs. advertising, the MySpace suicide case, and more.

Scott was invited to speak about Wolfe Law Group’s federal suit against the Louisiana State Bar Association, challenging the new lawyer advertising rules as unconstitutional. Read more about this suit at http://www.protectspeech.com.

This Week in Law (“TWiL”) is hosted by Denise Howell, and her TWiL panel, and covers issues dealing with technology, which include court cases, tech useed by legal advisers, patents, copyrights and more.

You can listen to the podcast, and subscribe to TWiL at: http://twit.tv/twil19

Talking points for the podcast are here: http://delicious.com/thisweekinlaw/19, and on the TWiL wiki here: http://wiki.twit.tv/wiki/TWiL19

Wolfe Law Group Spotlighted in National Law Journal Article

NEW ORLEANS, LA (WolfeLaw) December 1, 2008 — Scott G. Wolfe, Jr. & Wolfe Law Group were spotlighted in a National Law Journal article entitled ” La Attorney Fights Rules that Limit ‘New Media’ Use.

The article discusses the lawsuit filed this week by the firm in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the new Louisiana lawyer advertising rules. The suit, captioned Scott G. Wolfe, Jr., et al. v. Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, et al., argues that the new lawyer advertising rules restrict the firm’s ability to advertise online and participate in certain online social media.

Founding partner of the firm, Scott Wolfe, is quoted in the piece:

The rules require that a lawyer send a copy of a proposed ad to the Louisiana State Bar Association, which charges a $175 evaluation fee to determine compliance, Wolfe said. Those requirements are particularly troublesome, he said, given the definition of “computer-accessed communications” in the rules. The rules define those communications as “information regarding a lawyer’s or law firm’s services that is read, viewed or heard directly through the use of a computer.”

Read the full article at law.com.

Wolfe Law Group Files Federal Lawsuit to Say: Blogging Is Speaking

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Wolfe Law Group announces that it filed suit in federal court to challenge the constitutionality of Louisiana’s new rules governing lawyer advertising. The suit argues that the new rules unconstitutionally restrict an attorney’s right to speak freely on the Internet.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (PRWEB.Com) November 24, 2008 — This morning, Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C. filed a suit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of Louisiana’s new rules governing lawyer advertising.

The lawsuit seeks to prevent the enforcement of Louisiana’s new advertising rules, scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2009. The Louisiana advertising rules are some of the most aggressive in the nation, and Wolfe Law Group’s suit argues that the rules go too far and restrict an attorney’s right to freely speak about its trade.

Wolfe Law Group argues that the new rules effectively prevent a lawyer from advertising its services through online media, such as Google’s Adwords, as the rules also restrict an attorney’s ability to engage in discourse with colleagues, clients and the public through online bulletin boards, blogs, twitter, and other online communities and forums.

The law firm that practices in the area of construction law out of its offices in New Orleans, Louisiana and Seattle, Washington, is actively engaged in the Internet marketplace, posting daily on sites like wolfelaw.com, Twitter, Facebook, Avvo.com, and similar web 2.0 services.

The suit argues that Louisiana’s new advertising rules would subject each of the firm’s posts to an “evaluation” by the Louisiana State Bar Association, with an evaluation fee of $175.00.

According to a letter sent to Wolfe Law Group’s colleagues and clients, “the new rules would stifle our firm’s ability to continue talking with you about the legal profession, the construction industry and the evolution of construction law across the nation.”

To continue commenting upon the progress of the action, the firm launched a blog titled “Blogging is Speaking,” at the web address http://www.protectspeech.com.

For a copy of the lawsuit, click here.

Find the cause on Facebook here.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, Case No. 08-4994, Section F, Magistrate 2.

About Wolfe Law Group:
Founded in post-Katrina New Orleans in 2005, Wolfe Law Group is a boutique construction law practice with offices in Seattle, Washington and New Orleans, Louisiana. The firm operates a blog on construction law matters titled the Construction Law Monitor, and prides itself on thinking different in the legal profession.

Contact
Jessica Hunter, director of public relations
Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C.
206-801-1600
http://www.wolfelaw.com

Press Links:
Media Center: http://media.wolfelaw.com
Press Releases RSS Feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/wlgmedia
Firm Site: http://www.wolfelaw.com