Peel v. Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of Illinois
United States Supreme Court
496 U.S. 91 (1990)
After completing extensive trial experience, continuing education, and a day-long exam required by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), attorney Gary Peel (defendant) received certification as a civil trial specialist and added a line identifying himself as such on his professional letterhead; Illinois's attorney conduct rules barred lawyers from advertising themselves as specialists except in trademark, patent, or admiralty law, and the state disciplinary commission (plaintiff) successfully pursued discipline against Peel, a ruling the state supreme court affirmed, prompting Peel's appeal.
Whether a state may categorically prohibit an attorney from advertising a legitimate, verifiable private certification of legal specialization, when the certification claim is not inherently misleading to reasonable consumers.