How to submit your lawyer ads to the bar, state by state

As of October 25, 2026, seven states make lawyers file their ads with a bar or court office: Florida, Texas, Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Three more file only letters, emails and texts sent to people known to need a lawyer. Each state has its own deadline, fee and portal, and this page links the official one for each.

Key facts

• Florida: file at least 20 days before first use; the Bar’s page lists $250 per ad filed on time and $750 per ad filed late, and online filing through the myFloridaBar member portal is available from July 2026 (The Florida Bar).
• Texas: file non-exempt ads within 10 days after first dissemination, through the Advertising Review portal, with a $100 fee (State Bar of Texas).
• Nevada: file within 15 days of dissemination with a non-refundable $100 fee; an advance opinion costs $250 (State Bar of Nevada).
• Louisiana: regular filings cost $175 and late filings $275, and a filing counts only once the LSBA has received it (LSBA).
• Mississippi: submit before first dissemination; $25 per ad filed on time and $150 if late (The Mississippi Bar).
• Connecticut: file through the Judicial Branch’s e-services, with no fee for mandatory filing (Statewide Grievance Committee).
• Rhode Island: send print, radio and TV ads to Supreme Court Disciplinary Counsel before or within 48 hours of first use; the rule names no fee (Rule 7.2(b)).

Which states make lawyers file ads?

Seven states require ads to be filed with a regulator, and three more require filing of targeted solicitations only. Kentucky runs a voluntary review. The remaining jurisdictions in our state rules library have no filing duty that we found, though many still require you to keep copies of your ads for a set period.

The caption: deadlines split three ways. Florida and Mississippi want the ad before it runs, Louisiana and Connecticut at or before first use, and Texas and Nevada after. Fees are per ad, so the number of versions drives the cost.

How do I submit an ad to the Florida Bar?

File at least 20 days before first use. Since July 2026, filings can go through the myFloridaBar member portal; mailed or overnighted filings go to the Ethics and Advertising Department, The Florida Bar, 651 E Jefferson St, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300 (The Florida Bar). The fee is $250 per ad filed on time and $750 per ad filed late.

A filing includes a copy of the ad, a transcript of any audio, all the text used in the ad, a statement of where and how often it will run, the name of the lawyer responsible for its content, and an accurate English translation if the ad is in another language. The Bar won’t accept an emailed link as the filing. It mails a response “on or before 15 days from the date a complete filing is received.”

What doesn’t need filing: lawyer and law firm websites, including pop-ups on the firm’s own site (Rule 4-7.20(g)), and ads limited to the safe-harbor content of Rule 4-7.16. Even an exempt ad must carry the name of a responsible lawyer or firm and the city, town or county of an office. Our Florida fees note covers what the higher fees cost a firm that tests many versions.

How do I submit an ad in Texas?

Through the Advertising Review portal, reached from your My Bar page. The portal takes the application, the media files and the $100 fee (State Bar of Texas). Rule 7.04 sets the deadline: “no later than ten (10) days after the date of dissemination” of an ad, or of a solicitation communication sent by any means.

• Pre-approval is optional and useful. Submit at least 30 days before first dissemination. A finding of compliance binds in your favor if you described the ad fairly; a finding of noncompliance doesn’t bind against you.
• The penalty for skipping it: if the Bar finds a non-exempt ad that wasn’t filed, it “may assess a $250 fine and a $100 review fee.”
• Changed ads: a substantive change needs a new application and fee.
• Exempt (Rule 7.05): website content other than the homepage; social posts that don’t expressly offer legal services and are mainly informational; sponsorship notices; and ads with only the firm’s name, contact details and similar basic facts, among others.

How do I submit an ad in Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi, Connecticut or Rhode Island?

Nevada. File each ad separately with the State Bar’s online filing form within 15 days of dissemination, with a non-refundable $100 fee (State Bar of Nevada). Audio and video need a full transcript, and non-English ads need an English translation. The form says websites aren’t advertisements subject to filing, and it lists paid social media among the ad types. An advance opinion under Rule 7.2B costs $250 and comes within 30 days.

Louisiana. A filing must be received by the LSBA no later than first use; mailing it that day isn’t enough, and email or fax filings aren’t accepted (LSBA). Regular filings are $175 and late filings $275. An advance advisory opinion costs $175 if filed at least 30 days ahead. Newer members (admitted under three years, at firms under five lawyers) pay $100. Use “pre-file online” to get your filing number, because Louisiana requires that number in every non-exempt ad (Rule 7.2(a)(3)).

Mississippi. Submit a copy or recording of each ad to the Office of General Counsel of The Mississippi Bar before first dissemination: $25 on time, $150 late (The Mississippi Bar). Exempt: ads with only basic information, web pages viewed in a search the person started, and several others. “Any change to the form or content of an advertisement after submission will require a new submission.” An optional advisory opinion costs $50 and is requested at least 45 days ahead.

Connecticut. File through the Judicial Branch’s e-services only, not by fax or email; there’s no fee for mandatory filing, and an advance advisory opinion costs $100 (Statewide Grievance Committee). TV, radio, print and internet ads, except websites, are filed before or at first dissemination, and a list of the domain names you use to offer legal services is filed quarterly on the first business day of January, April, July and October (FAQ). Internet pop-up ads are printed, scanned and filed as print ads. Ads in another language need an accurate English translation.

Rhode Island. Send a copy of each print ad (yellow pages excepted), a recording of each radio ad and a video of each TV ad to Supreme Court Disciplinary Counsel before or within 48 hours of first use (Rule 7.2(b)). The rule names no fee, form or portal, and it is a filing for the record, not an approval. A copy of each targeted letter or email goes to Disciplinary Counsel too, and you keep a copy for three years (Rule 7.3(d)).

Which states file only solicitations?

Indiana, South Dakota and Wisconsin don’t file general ads, but they do file targeted solicitations: letters, emails and recorded messages to a specific person known to need legal help.

• Indiana: a copy goes to the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission “at or prior to its dissemination,” with a $50 fee, and you keep the recipient list for at least one year (Rule 7.3(c)).
• South Dakota: a copy is deposited with the State Bar’s Secretary-Treasurer at least 30 days before it goes out, by mail, return receipt requested (Rule 7.3(c)).
• Wisconsin: a copy is filed with the Office of Lawyer Regulation within five days of dissemination (SCR 20:7.3(c)).

All three require “Advertising Material” on these messages; the wording and placement are on our disclaimers page.

Can I get an ad reviewed voluntarily?

Yes, in several states. Kentucky’s review is entirely voluntary: send three copies with a $75 fee (plus $100 for an ad over 100 pages or audio or video over 10 minutes), and the Attorneys’ Advertising Commission gives an advisory opinion within 30 days of receipt (Kentucky Bar Association). Texas, Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi and Connecticut also offer advance opinions, at the fees above. A new channel, such as YouTube or ChatGPT ads, is a good reason to ask for one.

What this means for your firm

• Put the filing deadline in your launch plan. In Florida, a new ad needs 20 days before it can run.
• Plan versions before you file. Fees are per ad, and new versions usually mean new filings.
• Keep a dated copy of every ad, everywhere. It’s required in many states and it’s your evidence in all of them.

We handle your state’s ad rules for you, including filings, on Google ads and on getting found on Google and in AI answers. See where your firm stands, or get a free review.

Reviewed by our rules reviewer. Marketing information, not legal advice. Fees and portals change; confirm every rule with your state bar and your own counsel before you run an ad.

Data. The fees and deadlines are in the filing fees study, free to download.