The rule in each state
Texas files after the ad runs; Florida files before.
| Texas | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| When to file | Within 10 days after first use (Rule 7.04(a)) | At least 20 days before first use (Rule 4-7.19(a)) |
| Fee | $100 per application (State Bar of Texas) | $250 per ad; $750 if filed late (Florida Bar coversheet, July 2026) |
| Not filed | Bar "may assess a $250 fine and a $100 review fee" (State Bar of Texas) | Failing to file on time is grounds for discipline (Rule 4-7.19(f)(1)) |
| How | Advertising Review Portal on your My Bar Page (State Bar of Texas) | Mail, or the Florida Bar Member Portal from July 2026 (coversheet) |
| Website | Homepage only (Rule 7.05(b)) | Exempt from filing (Rule 4-7.20(g)) |
| Optional pre-approval | 30+ days before first use (Rule 7.04(c)) | Preliminary opinion on a draft or script (Rule 4-7.19(c)) |
Filing is separate from compliance. An exempt ad or web page must still follow each state's content rules, such as testimonials and past results (see law firm website advertising rules).
Texas: file within 10 days of first use
"Except as exempt under Rule 7.05, a lawyer shall file with the Advertising Review Committee, State Bar of Texas, no later than ten (10) days after the date of dissemination of an advertisement of legal services" (Texas Rule 7.04(a))
The exemptions that matter most for online marketing (Texas Rule 7.05):
- Website: everything except the homepage is exempt, under 7.05(b). The homepage is exempt too if it holds only exempt content (Comment 2).
- Social media posts: exempt under 7.05(g) if the post "does not expressly offer legal services" and is "primarily informational, educational, political, or artistic in nature, or made for entertainment purposes."
- Basic-facts ads: exempt under 7.05(i) if they hold only listed items, such as name, contact details, practice areas, bar admissions, languages, Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification and "fees charged for an initial consultation or routine legal services."
Pre-approval is optional but binding in your favor: "a finding of compliance is binding in favor of the submitting lawyer" if you described the ad fairly (Texas Rule 7.04(c)). A substantive change to an approved ad needs "a new application and fee" (State Bar of Texas).
Florida: file 20 days before first use
"Subject to the exemptions stated in rule 4-7.20, any lawyer who advertises services must file with The Florida Bar a copy of each advertisement at least 20 days prior to the lawyer's first dissemination of the advertisement." (Florida Rule 4-7.19(a))
The Bar has 15 days to respond to a complete filing. If it sends nothing in that time, you are not subject to discipline unless it later finds the ad noncompliant and you keep running it (Rule 4-7.19(b)). Keep a copy of each ad for 3 years after its last use (Rule 4-7.19(j)).
Main exemptions (Florida Rule 4-7.20):
- (a) "Tombstone" ads with no illustrations and only the presumptively valid content of Rule 4-7.16: name, contact details, practice areas, bar admissions, languages, consultation fee and similar facts.
- (d) Communications mailed only to existing clients, former clients or other lawyers.
- (g) "information contained on the lawyer's Internet website(s)."
- (i) Search ads, new and effective since October 22, 2026 (Florida Bar News):
"sponsored search engine results that do not include any images, audio, or video other than the permissible content of advertisements set forth in Rule 4-7.16." (Florida Rule 4-7.20(i))
The limit is on images, audio and video, not on the words. The Bar's news item explains why: search ads mix text into "hundreds, if not thousands, of distinct advertisements" (Florida Bar News). The words must still meet the content rules.
The rules apply to any lawyer who advertises legal services in Florida or targets Florida residents, admitted in Florida or not (Rule 4-7.11(b)).
Facebook, Instagram and TikTok ads
Florida's rules cover "social networking, and video sharing media" (Rule 4-7.11(a)). The Bar's guidelines say boosted posts must be filed:
"Posts that lawyers pay to appear in the feed of consumers with whom the lawyer has no prior family or professional relationship must not only comply with all general regulations set forth in Rules 4-7.11 through 4-7.18 and 4-7.21, but must also be filed for review under Rule 4-7.19 unless they are 'tombstone' advertisements" (Florida Bar Guidelines for Networking Sites)
Your own page that promotes your practice must follow the content rules but is not filed: the Bar treats it like a website, so "pages on networking sites are not required to be filed." Personal pages used only for family and friends are outside the advertising rules (Florida Bar Guidelines for Networking Sites).
Channel by channel
| Channel | Texas | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Website homepage | File, unless only exempt content | No filing |
| Other web pages | No filing | No filing |
| Google text ad, basic facts only | No filing (7.05(i)) | No filing (4-7.20(i)) |
| Google text ad with other claims (results, awards) | File within 10 days after | No filing (4-7.20(i)) |
| Search ad with images or video beyond basic content | File within 10 days after | File 20 days before |
| Paid Facebook or Instagram ad offering services | File within 10 days after | File 20 days before |
| Unpaid educational post | No filing (7.05(g)) | No filing for your own page; content rules apply |
| TV, radio, billboard | File within 10 days after | File 20 days before |
Example
Texas PI firm launches Google Ads
The ads say only the firm's name, "Car accident and truck accident cases. Free consultation. Se habla español," and the phone number. Every element is on the 7.05(i) list, so no filing. A later ad adds "Recovered millions for clients": that is a past-results claim not on the list, so the firm files it within 10 days and pays $100.
Florida family lawyer boosts a video
A $300 boosted Instagram video tells local parents about custody consultations. It is a paid post with video, so the lawyer files it at least 20 days before it runs and pays $250. Filed 5 days before launch, the fee is $750.
Florida firm with a new website
No filing for the site itself. The firm checks each page's testimonials and results claims against the content rules instead.
Different for you?
- What a law firm website may say: law firm website advertising rules.
- Whether you need an "Advertising Material" label: attorney advertising disclaimer.
- Google's own checks on lawyer ads: Google Ads for lawyers.
- Paying a lead company instead: can lawyers pay for leads?.
- Practising in Ontario: Ontario lawyer advertising rules.
- Running the ads themselves: Paid Ads Agent.