(a) A lawyer may communicate the fact that the lawyer does or does not practice in particular fields of law. A lawyer may not, however, state or imply that the lawyer has been recognized or certified as a specialist in a particular field of law except as provided in paragraph (b) of this Rule.

(b) A lawyer may communicate that the lawyer has been certified as a specialist or certified in a field of practice only when the communication is not false or misleading, states the name of the certifying organization, and states that the certification has been granted by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or by an organization that has been approved by the American Bar Association. If the certification has been granted by an organization that has not been approved, or has been denied approval, by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the American Bar Association, the absence or denial of such approval shall be clearly identified in each such communication by the lawyer.

Note: Adopted July 12, 1984, to be effective September 10, 1984; former rule amended and designated paragraph (a) and new paragraph (b) adopted July 15, 1993, to be effective September 1, 1993.

Comment to RPC 7.4

This is renumbered DR 2-104, which the Court revised and adopted on January 16, 1984. What follows is the comment that accompanied that revision (see 113 N.J.L.J. 91, 92-93 (1984)).

The public has a legitimate interest in knowing in what areas of the law a lawyer practices.

This rule permits a lawyer to indicate areas of practice in communications about the lawyer's services, for example, in a telephone directory or other advertising. If a lawyer practices only in certain fields, or will not accept matters except in such fields, the lawyer is permitted so to indicate. Stating that the lawyer's practice is "limited to" or "concentrated in" particular fields is permitted except where the Court has designated areas of specialty certification. In those areas, only certified attorneys may list their practice as limited to the designated specialty.

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