Inside Report (2)

March 12, 1982

Young lawyers and specialists are making the most use of advertising since the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead in 1977.

But experts say it's probably only a matter of time before more established firms give it a try. More competition - some 60,000 new law school graduates a year - and the steady removal of state restrictions on ads will force it, they say.

At first, several states slapped on rules that governed what ads could say. But a chain of court decisions have struck down those and a number of other the restrictions in the name of First Amendment rights.

One benefit to consumers: cheaper services. A recent Arizona State University study found that lawyer charges averaged 30 percent higher in states that restricted advertising compared with states that allowed it.m