Law Office Or Law Offices?

To name your PLLC "Law Office of ______" or "Law Offices of _______," that is the question.

When I was in law school, I noticed that many attorneys named their law office, "The Law Offices of ______ _ _____" even though they only had one office. So when it was time for me to create and name my own professional limited liability company (PLLC), it seemed prudent to name it "The Law Offices of Jamie J. Baker." It seemed like a common market use, and I didn't think twice about it.

Then I came across a blog post from Findlaw that discussed the pitfalls of this issue. "The baseline rule, per the ABA's Model Rule 7.1, is that a lawyer 'shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services.' So, dropping the plural 'offices' when you only have one location might fall under that broad rule." Although there doesn't seem to be an ethcis opinion on point, other "[e]thics opinions ... warn against using 'and Associates' when you have no associates."

After reading this post, I decided to edit the name of my PLLC to "The Law Office of Jamie J. Baker" because I only have one designated office. While it may have been unlikely that the the plural use of offices would have resulted in any negative ramifications, it's an attorneys job to be prudent and comply with professional rules. 

image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Dief_shack.jpg

Comments

  1. I would agree that having the plural in the title gives it more prestige. I however personally think that a warm, cozy feel of a local office and a singular verb in your title gives a better impression. You do want a simple business, and having a local title will give you better results as I've seen.
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