In Brief
- Ban Lifted with Limits: The Legal Profession (Third Schedule) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, replace the longstanding blanket ban on legal advertising in Trinidad and Tobago, allowing Attorneys-at-Law to promote their services within strict boundaries.
- Embracing Digital Platforms: Lawyers and law firms can now officially use websites, blogs, podcasts, and social media networks to inform the public about the areas of law in which they accept instructions.
- Strict Consumer Protections: To protect the public from misleading claims, lawyers are barred from calling themselves ‘experts’ or ‘specialists,’ and cannot use client testimonials, advertise fees or discounts, or guarantee outcomes.
- Touting Remains Prohibited: While informative advertising is now allowed, aggressive or coercive solicitation of clients—known as touting—remains strictly forbidden, as does encouraging clients to leave their current legal representation.
For years, Attorneys-at-Law in Trinidad and Tobago have faced strict restrictions on advertising. Unlike many other professionals and businesses, lawyers could not freely promote their services online. That is now changing.
The Legal Profession (Third Schedule) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, approved by the Chief Justice on 16 September 2026, replace the broad prohibition on advertising with a modernised approach. Under the amended framework, Attorneys-at-Law may advertise their practices, but within defined limits. The result could be greater visibility for lawyers—particularly online—while preserving important protections for the public.
The change may be most noticeable on social media. The Rules expressly recognise websites, photographs, videos, online publications, and social media as legitimate forms of advertising. Their definition of social media includes social networks, blogs, podcasts, forums, and photo- and video-sharing platforms. More law firms may therefore publish information online about their services and areas of practice, meaning that finding a lawyer could become less dependent on word of mouth. For someone seeking assistance with a divorce, property transaction, estate, or civil dispute, this should make it easier to identify lawyers who handle those matters.
There are, however, important limits. A lawyer can advertise the areas in which they accept instructions, such as family law, conveyancing, probate, civil litigation, or commercial disputes. What lawyers cannot do is describe themselves as an ‘expert,’ ‘specialist,’ ‘leader,’ ‘established practitioner,’ or ‘experienced practitioner’ in a particular field. Compare ‘We accept instructions in family law matters’ with ‘We are leading family law experts.’ The first tells you what the firm does; the second is a promotional claim about expertise, which the Rules prohibit.
Legal advertising will still differ significantly from ordinary commercial marketing. Lawyers cannot use client testimonials or endorsements in advertisements. Nor can they advertise fees or costs, discounts, low-cost services, payment plans, fee deferrals, or contingency fee arrangements. This does not prevent a lawyer from discussing fees or payment arrangements privately with a prospective client; rather, it restricts their use as marketing tools.
One of the most important protections for the public is the prohibition against creating unrealistic expectations. An advertisement must not be false, misleading, or deceptive, nor likely to create an unjustified expectation. Furthermore, it must not suggest that a particular remedy or outcome will necessarily be available to you. A lawyer may refer to a past decision, judgment, or order, but if they do, the advertisement must include an appropriate disclaimer stating that similar results cannot be guaranteed, or that the decision may be subject to appeal or change. Put simply, a result obtained for one client is not a promise of the same result for another.
The Rules also distinguish between advertising and touting. Advertising is now permitted; touting is not. Touting is defined as seeking or soliciting instructions from potential clients through persistent, coercive, or demanding tactics, whether directly, indirectly, or through agents. A lawyer can advertise that they handle personal injury claims, but neither the lawyer nor anyone acting on their behalf can pressure an accident victim into hiring them. Nor can lawyers use advertisements to expressly encourage someone to leave their current Attorney-at-Law and retain them instead.
For the public, the message is straightforward: guaranteed results, claims of specialist expertise, testimonials, advertised discounts, and pressure to retain a lawyer should all raise a red flag. These are not merely questionable marketing choices; they are practices specifically restricted or prohibited by the Rules on professional advertising.
Every legal matter depends on its own facts, and a lawyer who promises an outcome without properly understanding your case should prompt serious questions. Ultimately, the way a lawyer advertises can reveal how seriously they take their professional obligations.
The new Rules bring the legal profession further into the digital age. At the same time, they recognise that choosing an Attorney-at-Law is not the same as buying an ordinary product or service. The rule of thumb is simple: a lawyer can advertise what they do and how you can find them, but the advertisement should not promise you a result, exaggerate the lawyer’s abilities, or pressure you into becoming a client. If it does, treat that as a warning sign rather than a selling point.
