Top Florida court reprimands 'Pitbull Lawyer' for advertising campaign
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The Florida Supreme Court has reprimanded lawyer Robert Laurence Pelletier for an advertising campaign that described him as the “Pitbull Lawyer at Taylor Law.”
Pelletier, a lawyer in Jacksonville, Florida, used the slogan in print, social media and a boat wrap, according to the Florida Bar’s summary of the July 29 disciplinary order.
Law360 has coverage.
The Florida Bar’s ethics complaint, filed in March, said Pelletier used a logo of a pit bull with a spiked collar.
The bar accused Pelletier of violating rules for lawyer advertising. The complaint noted a 2005 decision by the Florida Supreme Court that said a lawyer’s pit bull reference and use of the image in advertising doesn’t help the public make an informed decision when choosing lawyers.
In a conditional guilty plea filed July 15 in the ethics case, Pelletier said he is of counsel with the Law Offices of David A. Taylor. According to Law360, the firm’s website doesn’t list Pelletier as an attorney, however.
Pelletier corrected his pit bull ads in May and had new ads and a new logo approved by the bar, the conditional plea said.
The conditional plea said the pit bull ads violated lawyer advertising rules banning advertising that is potentially misleading and that is unduly manipulative or intrusive.
