The Supreme Court’s 1977 decision in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona invalidated the longtime ban on lawyer advertising on First Amendment grounds. It was also the opening shot that set off the competitive war in our profession. The day after the decision was published, Jacoby & Meyers published its first law firm newspaper ad.

Following the path of most advertisers, two months later, the first television ad for a law firm was placed in 1977 … And then firms began playing their ads on video-sharing sites such as YouTube, brought online in February 2005. Web-based video outlets made online video available to anyone with a camera. Many lawyers still make their living off referrals, but if your firm is not on TV, social media or billboards, you may not be bringing in new clients you could have.