FizzLaw Terms and Conditions of Use
LEGAL SERVICES MANAGEMENT, LLC, AN ILLINOIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY DOING BUSINESS AS "FIZZLAW"
("FIZZLAW") OFFERS AND PROVIDES THIS WEB SITE (THE "WEB SITE" OR "SITE") TO YOU
AND ALL OTHER USERS SUBJECT TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE (THESE "SITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS").
PLEASE READ THESE SITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE USING THIS WEB SITE. BY ACCESSING OR USING THIS
WEB SITE, YOU EXPLICITLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREE TO COMPLY WITH AND BE BOUND BY THESE SITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
AND ALL TERMS, POLICIES AND GUIDELINES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE HEREIN. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL PROVISIONS
OF THESE SITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE THIS WEB SITE NOW OR AT ANY TIME IN THE FUTURE.
FizzLaw reserves the right to amend, modify or change any of the terms and conditions contained in these Site
Terms and Conditions, or any policy or guideline of the Site, at any time and in its sole discretion. Unless
otherwise specified, any changes, amendments or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting of the
revisions on the Site, and your continued use of the Site will constitute your acceptance of such changes, amendments
or modifications. You should review these Site Terms and Conditions and all incorporated policies and documents
on a regular basis to understand the terms and conditions that apply to your use of the Site. If you do not agree
to any amended terms, you should immediately stop using the Site. These Site Terms and Conditions do not alter in
any way the terms or conditions of any other agreement you may have with FizzLaw or its affiliates for products,
services or otherwise.
Please refer to FizzLaw's Privacy Policy for information on how FizzLaw collects, uses and discloses personally
identifiable information from its users.
Trademarks; Trade Dress
FIZZLAW and all other product or service names or slogans displayed on the Site are registered and/or common
law trademarks of Legal Services Management, LLC and/or its suppliers or licensors, and may not be copied, imitated
or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of FizzLaw or the applicable trademark holder.
In addition, the look and feel of the Site, including all page headers, custom graphics, button icons and scripts,
is the service mark, trademark and/or trade dress of FizzLaw and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or
in part, without the prior written permission of FizzLaw. All other trademarks, registered trademarks, product
names and company names or logos mentioned in the Site are the property of their respective owners. Reference to
any products, services, processes or other information, by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, supplier or otherwise
does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof by FizzLaw.
Copyright and Certain Ownership Rights
Except as otherwise indicated, the Site, and all text, images, marks, logos and other content contained herein,
including, without limitation, the FizzLaw logo and all designs, text, graphics, pictures, information, data,
software, sound files, other files, Content (as defined below) and the selection and arrangement thereof
(collectively, the "Site Content") are the proprietary property of FizzLaw or its licensors or users and
are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. The Site and all Site Content is © 2007 Legal Services
Management, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Limited License to Access Site
FizzLaw grants you a limited, non-sublicensable license to access and use the Site and to view, copy and print
portions of the Site Content. Such license is subject to these Site Terms and Conditions, and specifically
conditioned upon the following: (i) you may only view, copy and print portions of the Site Content for your own
informational, personal and non-commercial use; (ii) you may not modify or otherwise make derivative uses of the
Site or the Site Content, or any portion thereof; (iii) any displays or printouts of Site Content must be marked
"© 2007, Legal Services Management, LLC - All rights reserved."; (iv) you may not remove or modify any
copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices that have been placed in the Site Content; (v) you may not use
any data mining, robots or similar data gathering or extraction methods; (vi) you may not use the Site or the Site
Content other than for its intended purpose; and (vii) you may not reproduce, prepare derivative works from,
distribute or display the Site or any Site Content (except for page caching), except as provided herein. Except as
expressly permitted above, any use of any portion of the Site or Site Content without the prior written permission
of FizzLaw is strictly prohibited and will terminate the license granted herein.
Any such unauthorized use may also violate applicable laws, including without limitation copyright and trademark
laws and applicable communications regulations and statutes. Unless explicitly stated herein, nothing in these Site
Terms and Conditions may be construed as conferring any license to intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel,
implication or otherwise. This license is revocable at any time.
You represent and warrant that your use of the Site and the Site Content will be consistent with this license and
will not infringe or violate the rights of any other party or breach any contract or legal duty to any other parties,
or violate any applicable law. You expressly agree to indemnify FizzLaw against any liability to any person arising
out of your use of Site Content not in accordance with these Site Terms and Conditions.
To request permission for uses of Site Content not included in the foregoing license, you may contact FizzLaw as
follows:
Links to the Site
You are granted a limited, non-exclusive right to create a text hyperlink to the homepage of the Site for
noncommercial purposes, provided such link does not portray FizzLaw or any of its products or services in a false,
misleading, derogatory or otherwise defamatory manner and provided further that the linking site does not contain
any adult or illegal material or any material that is offensive, harassing or otherwise objectionable. This limited
right may be revoked at any time. You may not use a FizzLaw logo or other proprietary graphic of FizzLaw to link
to the Site without the express written permission of FizzLaw. Further, you may not use, frame or utilize framing
techniques to enclose any FizzLaw trademark, logo or other proprietary information, including the images found at
the Site, the content of any text or the layout/design of any page or form contained on a page on the Site without
FizzLaw's express written consent. Except as noted above, you are not conveyed any right or license by implication,
estoppel or otherwise in or under any patent, trademark, copyright or proprietary right of FizzLaw or any third party.
Nothing contained on the Site may be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or
right to use any patent, trademark, copyright or other proprietary right of FizzLaw or any third party without the
prior written permission of FizzLaw or such other party that may own such patent, trademark, copyright or other
proprietary right(s).
The Site may contain links to third-party Web sites ("Third-Party Sites") and third-party content
("Third-Party Content") as a service to those interested in this information. You use links to Third-Party
Sites, and any Third-Party Content therein, at your own risk. FizzLaw does not monitor or have any control over, and
makes no claim or representation regarding, Third-Party Content or Third-Party Sites. FizzLaw provides these links
only as a convenience, and a link to a Third-Party Site or Third-Party Content does not imply FizzLaw's endorsement,
adoption or sponsorship of, or affiliation with, such Third-Party Site or Third-Party Content. FizzLaw accepts no
responsibility for reviewing changes or updates to, or the quality, content, policies, nature or reliability of,
Third-Party Content, Third-Party Sites, or Web sites linking to the Site. When you leave the Site, our terms and
policies no longer govern. You should review applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering
practices, of any Third-Party Site, and should make whatever investigation you feel necessary or appropriate before
proceeding with any transaction with any third party.
Registration
Unless otherwise provided at the Site, registration at the Site is available solely to attorneys.
Use of Interactive Areas
The Site contains discussion forums, review services or other forums in which you or third parties may post
reviews and information regarding attorneys and/or law firms, as well as additional content, photographs, messages,
materials or other items ("Interactive Areas"). You are solely responsible for your use of such Interactive
Areas and use them at your own risk. By using any Interactive Areas, you expressly agree not to post, upload to,
transmit, distribute, store, create or otherwise publish through the Site any of the following:
- Any message, data, information, text, music, sound, photos, graphics, code or other material ("Content
") that is unlawful, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, indecent, lewd, suggestive, harassing,
threatening, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, abusive, inflammatory, fraudulent or otherwise objectionable;
- Content that would constitute, encourage or provide instructions for a criminal offense, violate the rights
of any party, or that would otherwise create liability or violate any local, state, national or international
law, including, without limitation, the regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any rules
of a securities exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ;
- Content that may infringe any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other intellectual or proprietary
right of any party;
- Content that impersonates any person or entity or otherwise misrepresents your affiliation with a person or
entity;
- Unsolicited promotions, political campaigning, advertising or solicitations;
- Private information of any third party, including, without limitation, addresses, phone numbers, email
addresses, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers;
- Viruses, corrupted data or other harmful, disruptive or destructive files;
- Content that is unrelated to the topic of the Interactive Area(s) in which such Content is posted; or
- Content that, in the sole judgment of FizzLaw, is objectionable or which restricts or inhibits any other
person from using or enjoying the Interactive Areas or the Site, or which may expose FizzLaw or its affiliates or
its users to any harm or liability of any type.
FizzLaw takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any Content posted, stored or uploaded by you or any
third party, or for any loss or damage thereto, nor is FizzLaw liable for any mistakes, defamation, slander, libel,
omissions, falsehoods, obscenity, pornography or profanity you may encounter. As a provider of interactive services,
FizzLaw is not liable for any statements, representations or Content provided by its users in any public forum,
personal home page or other Interactive Area. Although FizzLaw has no obligation to screen, edit or monitor any of
the Content posted to or distributed through any Interactive Area, FizzLaw reserves the right, and has absolute
discretion, to remove, screen or edit without notice any Content posted or stored on the Site at any time and for
any reason, and you are solely responsible for creating backup copies of and replacing any Content you post or store
on the Site at your sole cost and expense.
Any use of the Interactive Areas or other portions of the Site in violation of the foregoing violates these Site
Terms and Conditions and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the
Interactive Areas and/or the Site. In order to cooperate with legitimate governmental requests, subpoenas or court
orders, to protect FizzLaw's systems and customers, or to ensure the integrity and operation of FizzLaw's business
and systems, FizzLaw may access and disclose any information it considers necessary or appropriate, including,
without limitation, user profile information (i.e. name, email address, etc.), IP addressing and traffic information,
usage history and posted Content. FizzLaw's right to disclose any such information shall govern over any terms
of FizzLaw's Privacy Policy.
Rights to User Content
By posting or distributing Content to or through the Site, unless FizzLaw indicates otherwise in writing, you
- grant FizzLaw and its affiliates an exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable, irrevocable and
fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, distribute, publish, create derivative
works from and publicly display and perform such Content throughout the world in any media, now known or
hereafter devised;
- grant FizzLaw and its affiliates and sublicensees the right to use the name that you submit in connection
with such Content, if FizzLaw so chooses; and
- represent and warrant that (i) you own and control all of the rights to the Content that you post or
otherwise distribute, or you otherwise have the lawful right to post and distribute such Content to or through
the Site; (ii) such Content is accurate and not misleading; and (iii) use and posting or other transmission of
such Content does not violate these Site Terms and Conditions and will not violate any rights of or cause injury
to any person or entity. You further grant FizzLaw the right to pursue at law any person or entity that violates
your or FizzLaw's rights in the Content by a breach of these Site Terms and Conditions.
Content submitted by users will be considered non-confidential and FizzLaw is under no obligation to treat such
Content as proprietary information. Without limiting the foregoing, FizzLaw reserves the right to use the Content
as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, deleting, editing, modifying, rejecting or refusing to post
it. FizzLaw is under no obligation to offer you any payment for Content that you submit or the opportunity to edit,
delete or otherwise modify Content once it has been submitted to FizzLaw. FizzLaw shall have no duty to attribute
authorship of Content to you, and shall not be obligated to enforce any form of attribution by third parties.
If it is determined that you retain moral rights (including rights of attribution or integrity) in the Content,
you hereby declare that
- you do not require that any personally identifying information be used in connection with the Content,
or any derivative works of or upgrades or updates thereto;
- you have no objection to the publication, use, modification, deletion and exploitation of the Content
by FizzLaw or its licensees, successors and assigns;
- you forever waive and agree not to claim or assert any entitlement to any and all moral rights of an
author in any of the Content; and
- you forever release FizzLaw, and its licensees, successors and assigns, from any claims that you could
otherwise assert against FizzLaw by virtue of any such moral rights.
Copyright Complaints
If you believe that material posted on the Site infringes upon any copyright that you own or control, or that any
link on the Site directs users to another Web site that contains materials that infringes upon any copyright that you
hold or control, you may file a notification of such infringement with our “Designated Agent” as set forth below:
Name of Agent Designated to Receive Notification of Claimed Infringement
Full Address of Designated Agent to Whom Notification Should be Sent
FizzLaw may give notice of a claim of copyright infringement to its users by means of a general notice on the
Site, electronic mail to a user's email address in FizzLaw’s records, or by written communication sent by first-
class mail to a user's address in our records.
Repeat Infringer Policy
In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") and other applicable law, FizzLaw
has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at FizzLaw's sole discretion, subscribers or
account holders who are deemed to be repeat infringers. FizzLaw may also at its sole discretion limit access to the
Site and/or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or
not there is any repeat infringement.
Registration Data; Account Security
You agree to
- provide accurate, current and complete information about you as may be prompted by any registration forms
on the Site ("Registration Data");
- maintain the security of your password;
- maintain and promptly update the Registration Data, and any other information you provide to FizzLaw, and
to keep it accurate, current and complete; and
- accept all risks of unauthorized access to the Registration Data and any other information you provide to
FizzLaw.
FizzLaw Does Not Provide Legal Advice
FizzLaw is not an attorney or law firm, and does not provide any legal advice or representation whatsoever. FizzLaw
expressly disclaims responsibility and/or liability for any claims or Site Content posted at the site regarding any
attorney or law firm. Any and all claims which may arise involving any attorney or law firm listed at the Web site
are between the creator of the applicable Site Content and the party. In addition, FizzLaw makes no representations
or warranties regarding the quality of any legal services or attorneys referenced at the Site.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED TO THE CONTRARY IN A WRITING BY FIZZLAW, THE SITE, THE MATERIALS CONTAINED THEREIN
AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED ON OR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH (THE "SERVICES") ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS"
BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. FIZZLAW EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT AS TO THE SERVICES, INFORMATION, CONTENT AND MATERIALS ON THE SITE. FIZZLAW DOES NOT
REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT SITE CONTENT IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, CURRENT OR ERROR-FREE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS
ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION AS TO THE ACCURACY OR PROPRIETARY CHARACTER OF THE SITE, THE SITE CONTENT OR ANY
PORTION THEREOF.
FIZZLAW IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS RELATING TO PRICING, TEXT OR PHOTOGRAPHY. WHILE
FIZZLAW ATTEMPTS TO MAKE YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE AND THE SERVICES SAFE, FIZZLAW CANNOT AND DOES NOT
REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITE OR ITS SERVER(S) ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS; THEREFORE, YOU
SHOULD USE INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED SOFTWARE TO DETECT AND DISINFECT VIRUSES FROM ANY DOWNLOAD.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
YOU WAIVE AND COVENANT NOT TO ASSERT ANY CLAIMS OR ALLEGATIONS OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER AGAINST FIZZLAW, ITS
AFFILIATES, OR THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY
RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SITE, THE SERVICES, THE SITE CONTENT OR THE MATERIALS CONTAINED IN OR ACCESSIBLE THROUGH
THE SITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY CLAIMS OR ALLEGATIONS RELATING TO THE ALLEGED INFRINGEMENT OF PROPRIETARY
RIGHTS, ALLEGED INACCURACY OF SITE CONTENT, OR ALLEGATIONS THAT FIZZLAW HAS OR SHOULD INDEMNIFY, DEFEND OR HOLD
HARMLESS YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FROM ANY CLAIM OR ALLEGATION ARISING FROM YOUR USE OR OTHER EXPLOITATION OF THE SITE.
YOU USE THE SITE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
WITHOUT LIMITATION OF THE FOREGOING, NEITHER FIZZLAW NOR ANY PARTIES PROVIDING SITE CONTENT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF PROFITS OR LOSS OF DATA, WHETHER IN AN ACTION IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF THE SITE, THE SERVICES, THE CONTENT
OR THE MATERIALS CONTAINED IN OR ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY DAMAGES CAUSED BY OR
RESULTING FROM YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY SITE CONTENT OR OTHER INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM FIZZLAW OR ACCESSIBLE VIA THE
SITE, OR THAT RESULT FROM MISTAKES, ERRORS, OMISSIONS, INTERRUPTIONS, DELETION OF FILES OR EMAIL, DEFECTS, VIRUSES,
DELAYS IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION OR ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, WHETHER OR NOT RESULTING FROM ACTS OF GOD,
COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE, THEFT, DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO FIZZLAW'S RECORDS, PROGRAMS OR SERVICES.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF FIZZLAW, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE,
WHETHER ACTIVE, PASSIVE OR IMPUTED), PRODUCT LIABILITY, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHER THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING
TO THE USE OF THE SITE EXCEED ANY COMPENSATION YOU PAY, IF ANY, TO FIZZLAW FOR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SITE.
BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Applicable Law and Venue
The Site (excluding Third-Party Sites) is controlled by Legal Services Management, LLC and operated by Legal
Services Management, LLC from its offices in and around Chicago, Illinois. While FizzLaw has made no specific
efforts to publish the Site elsewhere, the Site is accessible in all 50 states of the United States and in other
countries. You and FizzLaw both benefit from establishing a predictable legal environment in regard to the Site.
Therefore, you and FizzLaw explicitly agree that all disputes, claims or other matters arising from or relating to
your use of the Site will be governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflicts of law
principles. You agree that all claims you may have against Legal Services Management, LLC arising from or relating
to the Site will be heard and resolved in a court of competent subject matter jurisdiction located in Chicago, Illinois.
You consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts over you, stipulate to the fairness and convenience of
proceeding in such courts, and covenant not to assert any objection to proceeding in such courts. If you choose to
access the Site from locations other than Chicago, Illinois, you will be responsible for compliance with all local
laws of such other jurisdiction.
Termination/Modification of License and Site Offerings
Notwithstanding any provision of these Site Terms and Conditions, FizzLaw reserves the right, without notice and
in its sole discretion, without any notice or liability to you, to (a) terminate your license to use the Site, or any
portion thereof; (b) block or prevent your future access to and use of all or any portion of the Site, Site Content
or Services; (c) change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Site, Site Content or Services; and (d) impose
limits on the Site, Site Content or Services.
Severability
If any provision of these Site Terms and Conditions shall be deemed unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable,
then that provision shall be deemed severable from these Site Terms and Conditions and shall not affect the validity
and enforceability of any remaining provisions.
Questions and Comments
If you have any questions regarding these Site Terms and Conditions or your use of the Site, please submit them to
FizzLaw by sending an e-mail to info@fizzlaw.com.
State Specific Disclosures
This Site may contain advertising material or lawyer advertisements.
Some jurisdictions may consider the Site to be a form of advertising for legal services and as such may require specific disclosures. Please read the following carefully:
THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT. The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Anyone considering a lawyer should independently investigate the lawyer's credentials and ability, and not rely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. Hiring a lawyer is an important process that should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Neither this Site nor any of the attorneys or law firms listed within this Site operate as a lawyer-advertising cooperative, lawyer referral service, prepaid legal insurance provider, or similar organization the business or activities of which include the referral of customers, members or beneficiaries to lawyers for the performance of fee-generating legal services or the payment for or provision of legal services to the customers, members or beneficiaries in matters for which they do not bear ultimate responsibility.
Before you decide to hire any attorney or law firm, ask them to send you free written information about their qualifications and experience. Additional information about the lawyers or firms may also be obtained by contacting the Bar Association in the state in which such lawyers or law firms are licensed.
No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Memberships and offices in legal fraternities and legal societies, technical and professional licenses, and memberships in scientific, technical and professional associations and societies of law or fields of practice do not mean that a lawyer is a specialist, expert, authority or is certified in a particular field of law, nor do such memberships or licenses mean that such a lawyer is more expert or competent than any other lawyer.
A description or indication of limitation of practice does not mean that any agency or board has certified such lawyer as a specialist, expert or authority in an indicated field of law practice, nor does it mean that such lawyer is more expert or competent than any other lawyer. You are urged to make your own independent investigation and evaluation of any lawyer being considered.
Except where otherwise indicated, none of the attorneys or law firms are certified by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, the Texas Board of Legal Specialization ("Not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization"), or any other entity or body. Many states – including Illinois – do not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law and explicitly state that any such certificate, award or recognition is not a requirement to practice law in those states.
Additional State Specific Disclosures:
Alabama
No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
Alaska
The Alaska Bar Association does not accredit or endorse certifying organizations.
Florida
The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide to hire any attorney, ask that lawyer to send you free written information about that lawyer’s qualifications and experience.
Hawaii
The supreme Court of Hawaii grants Hawaii certification only to lawyers in good standing who have successfully completed a specialty program accredited by the American Bar Association.
Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law and that the certificate, award or recognition is not a requirement to practice law in Illinois.
Iowa
The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. This disclosure is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Iowa.
Memberships and offices in legal fraternities and legal societies, technical and professional licenses, and memberships in scientific, technical and professional associations and societies of law or field of practice do not mean that a lawyer is a specialist or expert in a field of law, nor do they mean that such a lawyer is necessarily any more expert or competent than any other lawyer.
A description or indication of limitation of practice does not mean that any agency or board has certified such lawyer as a specialist or expert in an indicated field of law practice, nor does it mean that such lawyer is necessarily any more expert or competent than any other lawyer.
All potential clients are urged to make their own independent investigation and evaluation of any lawyer being considered. This notice is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Iowa.
The filing of a claim or suit solely to coerce a settlement or to harass another could be illegal and could render the person so filing liable for malicious prosecution or abuse of process.
Kansas
Any attorney listings or other information pertaining to a particular attorney or law firm on this Site may constitute a paid attorney advertisement, and do not in any way constitute a referral or endorsement by an approved or authorized lawyer referral service.
Massachusetts
If a Massachusetts lawyer holds himself or herself out as "certified" in a particular service, field or area of law by a non-governmental body, the certifying organization is a private organization, whose standards for certification are not regulated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Mississippi
Free Background information is available upon request to a Mississippi attorney. There is no procedure in Mississippi for approving certifying or designating organizations and authorities.
Missouri
ADVERTISING MATERIAL: COMMERCIAL SOLICITATIONS ARE PERMITTED BY THE MISSOURI RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT BUT ARE NEITHER SUBMITTED TO NOR APPROVED BY THE MISSOURI BAR OR THE SUPREME COURT OF MISSOURI. Neither the Supreme Court of Missouri nor the Missouri Bar reviews or approves certifying organizations or specialist designations.
Nevada
Neither the state bar of Nevada nor any agency of the State Bar has certified any lawyer identified here as a specialist or as an expert. Anyone considering a lawyer should independently investigate the lawyer's credentials and ability.
New Jersey
Any certification as a specialist, or any certification in a field of practice, that does not state that such certification has been granted by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or by an organization that has been approved by the American Bar Association, indicates that the certifying organization has not been approved, or has been denied approval, by the Supreme Court of New Jersey and the American Bar Association.
All attorney listings are a paid attorney advertisement, and do not in any way constitute a referral or endorsement by an approved or authorized lawyer referral service.
New Mexico
LAWYER ADVERTISEMENT
Any certification by an organization other than the New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization does not constitute recognition by the New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization, unless the lawyer is also recognized by the board as a specialist in that area of law.
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law. The court does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.
Tennessee
Certifications of Specialization are available to Tennessee lawyers in all areas of practice relating to or included in the areas of Civil Trial, Criminal Trial, Business Bankruptcy, Consumer Bankruptcy, Creditor's Rights, Medical Malpractice, Legal Malpractice, Accounting Malpractice, Elder Law, Estate Planning and Family Law. Listing of related or included practice areas herein does not constitute or imply a representation of certification of specialization.
Texas
Unless otherwise indicated, Not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Washington
The Supreme Court of Washington does not recognize certification of specialties in the practice of law and that the certificate, award, or recognition is not a requirement to practice law in the State of Washington.
Wyoming
The Wyoming State Bar does not certify any lawyer as a specialist or expert. Anyone considering a lawyer should independently investigate the lawyer's credentials and ability, and not rely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise.