Misleading advertising
Lawyer fined for deceptive advertising on the internet
A lawyer from Salzburg advertised with a team of lawyers, although he is the only lawyer in his firm. Now he has to pay 1000 euros for professional misconduct.
Lawyers are subject to "very clear rules and strict guidelines" in order to maintain the reputation of the profession, says Wolfgang Kleibel, President of the Bar Association: "Integrity, honesty and integrity are important guidelines. We live from the good reputation of the profession, which is why we pay great attention to this."
The lawyer failed in his appeal to the "Supreme Court"
Lawyers who do not comply with the rules of the Bar Code can be subject to disciplinary action - the penalties go as far as the withdrawal of their license to practice law. This is the responsibility of the Bar Association's Disciplinary Council, which has to deal with lawyers' misconduct time and again - including recently with a Salzburg lawyer who was fined 1000 euros. Why? Because, as the managing director and sole lawyer of his law firm, he had advertised on the Internet with a veritable team of lawyers - including the addition of "lawyers" in the company name. And this despite the fact that he was the only real lawyer in his own firm.
As a lawyer, you are allowed to advertise, but the information must be true and factual, and it must not come across as puffery.
Wolfgang Kleibel, Präsident Salzburger Anwaltskammer
In November 2022, a three-judge panel of the chamber dealt with the issue, examined screenshots of the homepage and clearly recognized an "impairment of honour and reputation of the profession" by the misleading references to the team of the lawyer concerned, which could be read on the corresponding website until the end of January 2023. The lawyer lodged an appeal against this.
The Supreme Court reviewed the case as a higher instance and finally dismissed the lawyer's concerns on April 30, 2024 - at the same time confirming the fine of 1,000 euros.
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