Checking a lawyer before you hire

Sources

Where the legal facts on this page come from

1. Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof’l Conduct 7.01 (communications concerning a lawyer’s services)“(a) A lawyer shall not make or sponsor a false or misleading communication about the qualifications or services of a lawyer or law firm. Information about legal services must be truthful and nondeceptive. … A statement is misleading if there is a substantial likelihood that it will lead a reasonable person to formulate a specific conclusion about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services for which there is no reasonable factual foundation, or if the statement is substantially likely to create unjustified expectations about the results the lawyer can achieve.”State Bar of Texas, Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (official PDF, effective March 7, 2025) · read 8 Nov 2026Read the source: Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof’l Conduct 7.01 (communications concerning a lawyer’s services)
2. Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof’l Conduct 7.03 (solicitation and other prohibited communications)“(b) A lawyer shall not solicit through in-person contact, or through regulated telephone, social media, or other electronic contact, professional employment from a non-client, unless the target of the solicitation is: (1) another lawyer; (2) a person who has a family, close personal, or prior business or professional relationship with the lawyer; or (3) a person who is known by the lawyer to be an experienced user of the type of legal services involved for business matters. (c) A lawyer shall not send, deliver, or transmit, or knowingly permit or cause another person to send, deliver, or transmit, a communication that involves coercion, duress, overreaching, intimidation, or undue influence.”State Bar of Texas, Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (official PDF, effective March 7, 2025) · read 8 Nov 2026Read the source: Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof’l Conduct 7.03 (solicitation and other prohibited communications)
3. Tex. Penal Code § 38.12 (barratry and solicitation of professional employment)“(a) A person commits an offense if, with intent to obtain an economic benefit the person: (1) knowingly institutes a suit or claim that the person has not been authorized to pursue; (2) solicits employment, in person, by telephone, through a direct message on a social media platform, or by another electronic communication, including through a false, misleading, or deceptive electronic communication, for the person or for another; (3) pays, gives, or advances or offers to pay, give, or advance to a prospective client money or anything of value to obtain employment as a professional from the prospective client; (4) pays or gives or offers to pay or give a person money or anything of value to solicit employment; … (d) A person commits an offense if the person: (1) is an attorney, chiropractor, physician, surgeon, or private investigator licensed to practice in this state …; and (2) with the intent to obtain professional employment for the person or for another, provides or knowingly permits to be provided to an individual who has not sought the person's employment, legal representation, advice, or care, a written communication or a solicitation … that: (A) concerns an action for personal injury or wrongful death or otherwise relates to an accident or disaster involving the person to whom the communication or solicitation is provided or a relative of that person and that was provided before the 31st day after the date on which the accident or disaster occurred; …”Texas Legislature, Texas Constitution and Statutes · read 8 Nov 2026Read the source: Tex. Penal Code § 38.12 (barratry and solicitation of professional employment)
4. ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5 (fees)American Bar Association, Model Rules of Professional Conduct (text not reachable from this session)Read the source: ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5 (fees)
5. Tex. Gov’t Code § 82.065 (contract for legal services)“(a) A contingent fee contract for legal services must be in writing and signed by the attorney and client. (b) Any contract for legal services is voidable by the client if it is procured as a result of conduct violating Section 38.12(a) or (b), Penal Code, or Rule 7.03 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas, regarding barratry by attorneys or other persons.”Texas Legislature, Texas Constitution and Statutes · read 8 Nov 2026Read the source: Tex. Gov’t Code § 82.065 (contract for legal services)
6. Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof’l Conduct 1.04 (fees)“(d) A fee may be contingent on the outcome of the matter for which the service is rendered, except in a matter in which a contingent fee is prohibited by paragraph (e) or other law. A contingent fee agreement shall be in writing and shall state the method by which the fee is to be determined. If there is to be a differentiation in the percentage or percentages that shall accrue to the lawyer in the event of settlement, trial or appeal, the percentage for each shall be stated. The agreement shall state the litigation and other expenses to be deducted from the recovery, and whether such expenses are to be deducted before or after the contingent fee is calculated. Upon conclusion of a contingent fee matter, the lawyer shall provide the client with a written statement describing the outcome of the matter and, if there is a recovery, showing the remittance to the client and the method of its determination.”State Bar of Texas, Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (official PDF, effective March 7, 2025) · read 8 Nov 2026Read the source: Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof’l Conduct 1.04 (fees)
7. Tex. Gov’t Code § 82.0651 (civil liability for prohibited barratry)“(a) A client may bring an action to void a contract for legal services that was procured as a result of conduct violating Section 38.12(a) or (b), Penal Code, or Rule 7.03 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas, regarding barratry by attorneys or other persons, and to recover any amount that may be awarded under Subsection (b). … (b) A client who prevails in an action under Subsection (a) shall recover from any person who committed barratry: (1) all fees and expenses paid to that person under the contract; …”Texas Legislature, Texas Constitution and Statutes · read 8 Nov 2026Read the source: Tex. Gov’t Code § 82.0651 (civil liability for prohibited barratry)

This is general information, not legal advice.