Two bills to combat unethical lawyering signed

Californians who are misled by unethical legal advertising can now sue the offending law firm.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Sen. Tom Umberg’s (D-Santa Ana) Senate Bill 37 on Oct. 11. The new law updates the definition of misleading advertising, and allows individuals who are misled to bring their own suit. Previously, enforcement of ethical rules could only be brought by the State Bar of California. Misleading legal advertising now explicitly includes saying that the attorney “brought a billion dollar lawsuit,” that the attorney can get quick settlements or immediate cash, misleading phrases about a lawyers’ skills and experience, and awards or recognitions which the lawyers pays a company to publicize. A full list of definitions is included in the bill. The bill also gives a right to sue non-attorneys who solicit clients and then sell their case to attorneys.