A. What ATJustice Is

ATJustice, PBC is a Delaware public benefit corporation operating a free, public attorney identification and directory service. We help members of the public locate actively licensed attorneys in their jurisdiction who practice in areas of law relevant to their needs. We do not charge members of the public for this service. We do not charge attorneys for this service. We receive no fee, commission, or thing of value from any attorney, from any consumer, or from any third party in connection with a listing or a consumer's or lawyer’s use of our directory service.

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We are not a law firm, do not provide legal advice, and do not select, endorse, rate, or recommend any attorney over another.

 

B.  How the Service Works

1.  A consumer (or lawyer) searches our directory using our search system.

2. Our system identifies actively licensed attorneys in the appropriate jurisdiction(s) and practice area(s) using publicly available information (e.g., state bar licensure and practice-area data).

3. The consumer is shown a list of matching attorneys along with their published credential and contact information.

4. The consumer independently decides whether and whom to contact. ATJustice does not transmit the consumer's identity, contact information, or legal matter to any attorney. ATJustice has no role in, and receives no information about, any resulting contact or engagement.

5. Attorney participation is free and requires no application beyond confirming active licensure and practice-area information. Any actively licensed attorney in good standing in the relevant jurisdiction and practice area is eligible to be listed — participation is not limited to a curated panel, and no attorney is excluded on any basis other than licensure/practice-area eligibility and good standing in the local bar.

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C. Operational Factors Relevant to Directory vs. Referral-Service Classification

Across the states, the line between a permissible attorney directory service and a regulated "lawyer referral service" generally turns on a common set of factors. We believe the following features of our service place it on the directory side of that line in the large majority of jurisdictions:

1. No fee or payment in either direction: Free to consumers and to attorneys; no fee-based trigger under the many state rules keyed to compensation for "recommending" a lawyer's services

2. No recommendation or endorsement: We do not vouch for, rate, or hold out any attorney as preferable to another; results are presented as a neutral list

3. Attorney Listing: Listings provided to consumers are automated and based primarily on jurisdiction and practice areas. 

4. Open Eligibility: Every actively licensed attorney in good standing in the relevant jurisdiction/practice area may be listed; we do not operate a closed or curated panel

5. No data transmitted to attorneys: We never send a consumer's identity, contact information,  or matter details to any attorney; any resulting retention is iniitiated by the consumer

6. Transparent presentation: Our site identifies itself as a directory/informational listing, not as a referral, matching, or recommendation service

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D. General Legal Basis

These distinguishing features track the reasoning applied in a substantial body of state ethics opinions and rules addressing attorney directories, matching services, and lead generators, including (by way of example, not an exhaustive or jurisdiction-specific list):

• Texas Professional Ethics Committee Opinion 573 (a service that is automated, non-discretionary, and does not purport to select or recommend attorneys is advertising, not a referral service)

• New York State Bar Association Ethics Opinions 1131, 1132, 1213, and 1267 (the line between permissible matching and a "recommendation" turns on whether the service vouches for or selects a "best" attorney versus applying transparent, mechanical criteria)

• Ohio Advisory Opinion 2001-2 and Board of Professional Conduct Opinion 2016-3 (a service performing only the "ministerial function of placing the lawyer's information into public view" is advertising, not a referral)

• ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2, Comment [5] and its state-law analogues (directory listings and group advertisements that list lawyers by practice area, without more, are not "recommendations")

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This notice is not a legal opinion and is not a representation that ATJustice has been reviewed or approved by any regulator. The classification of any service under a particular state's rules depends on that state's specific statutes, rules, and case law, applied to the specific facts of the service's operation. Attorneys and regulators should reach their own independent conclusions, and attorneys with questions about their own obligations should consult their own counsel or their state bar's ethics counsel.

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E. Notes for Specific States

• Florida requires attorney directory services to register with the state and meet certain other requirements ATJustice has undertaken compliance with those requirements.

• New Jersey and Maine: These states' rules define the "qualified" referral-service exception narrowly (limited to bar-association-operated or -approved services). Because ATJustice charges no fee, the underlying payment-based prohibition in these states is not implicated by participation in our directory. Consistent with guidance in these states regarding online matching platforms, we display the following on our site for consumers and attorneys in these jurisdictions: "This is an advertisement. ATJustice is an informational directory and is not a lawyer referral service."

• Indiana: Indiana restricts lawyer participation in "lawyer referral services" outside an enumerated list of bar-sponsored or Disciplinary Commission–sanctioned organizations. We believe ATJustice's design (no data transmitted to attorneys, no referral in the sense contemplated by the rule) places it outside that restriction, consistent with the reasoning applied to directories in other states, but we are not aware of direct Indiana authority confirming this and recommend Indiana attorneys make their own assessment.

• Illinois: Illinois's rules for "Intermediary Connecting Services" place due-diligence obligations on participating attorneys rather than a registration requirement on ATJustice. We provide a standard certification letter to registering Illinois attorneys so that they can document their due diligence under Rule 7.2(c).

 

F. Contact

Questions from regulators or bar counsel regarding this notice, or requests for additional documentation, may be directed to: info@legaljustice.org.

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This notice was prepared based on research into the professional conduct rules, ethics opinions, and case law of all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of July 6, 2026. It is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice to any attorney or regulator. Laws and rules change, and this notice may not reflect subsequent developments. ATJustice recommends that attorneys and regulators verify current requirements independently.