ISBA Professional Conduct Advisory Opinion

Opinion Number: Opinion No. 87-01
Opinion Date: September 1987

Names of nonlawyer firm employees on firm letterhead

Digest

Names of lay employees may be included on firm letterhead provided the letterhead is not misleading.

Facts

Inquirer notes that several attorneys have begun to include on their office letterhead the names of lay employees such as office manager and paralegals.

Question

Is it permissible to include the names of nonlawyers, such as office managers, paralegals, and secretaries who do paralegal work, on law firm stationery, and if so, under what circumstances is it permissible?

Opinion

Provided the inclusion of such names is not misleading, nonlawyers may be identified on law firm stationery. (See ISBA Opinion Nos. 294 and 84-10.) Designations such as "paralegal", "legal assistant", "law clerk", "investigator", "office administrator (manager)", and "support staff" would be permissible if the nonlawyer status of such person is also clearly indicated.

References

  • Rule 2-101
  • ISBA Opinions 294, 84-10

Note

This Opinion was AFFIRMED by the Board of Governors in July 2010. Please see the 2010 Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 and 7.5. This opinion was affirmed based on its general consistency with the 2010 Rules, although the specific standards referenced in it may be different from the 2010 Rules. Readers are encouraged to review and consider other applicable Rules and Comments, as well as any applicable case law or disciplinary decisions.

See Related Opinions

By subject: 
Nonlawyer Assistants
Law Firm Name and Letterhead
By IRPC rule: 
7.1
7.5

Professional Conduct Advisory Opinions are provided by the ISBA as an educational service to the public and the legal profession and are not intended as legal advice. The opinions are not binding on the courts or disciplinary agencies, but they are often considered by them in assessing lawyer conduct.