Optimal attorney advertising

► We examine attorney advertising regulations in the United States as well as abroad. ► Using a tort law framework, we develop a theoretical model of the social costs of attorney advertising. ► The model illustrates the trade-off between the informative effects of advertising against its influence on litigation costs. ► We show that in a perfectly competitive market for legal services, attorney advertising may be either too high or too low. ► After considering extensions to the model, we conclude that prohibitions on attorney advertising are likely suboptimal.