Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Kentucky Blawg Crisis

Kentucky is contemplating treating all lawyer blogs as advertising, subjecting them to various regulations. The most troubling: Rule 7.05 (b) of the KY lawyers' code requires a "A filing fee of $50.00 for each advertisement" and for every change in the advertisement. [A pretty good excuse for turning off the Comments section!] Yikes.

According to blogger Ben Cowgill:
"It appears that my Legal Ethics Blog brought this problem to a head because it was the first law-related blog launched by a Kentucky lawyer -- or at least the first that came to the attention of the Attorneys' Advertising Commission. I submitted an information copy of this blog to the Commission on the very day it was launched so that we could proceed to discuss any question about how it should be treated under the regulations mentioned above. We have not yet reached a final resolution, but I have received a "green light" to continue posting, without paying a filing fee for each post, until the matter is resolved."


Saw it on Ernie the Attorney.

UPDATE: Evan Schaeffer has an idea -
"So while Kentucky lawyers might have trouble self-publishing weblogs or (as Volokh notes) their own books, they'd be safe writing for this weblog, since I publish it. It means that all of you Kentucky lawyers just itching to blog about the Kentucky Attorneys' Advertising Commission can do it here. After all, guest writers are always welcome."


Nice.

UPDATE UPDATE:
Evan reports that other bloggers are also offering space on their sites. For what it's worth, if any Kentucky lawyers want space here, feel free to email me. Not that you probably want to be associated with half the subject matter, but it's available if you want it.

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