Florida lawyers may not use images or voices of celebrities in their advertisements because under Bar Rule 4-7.15(c) celebrity endorsements are considered manipulative or intrusive.

But what if a lawyer were to use a movie or TV clip not as an endorsement but as an educational tool in a YouTube video to demonstrate the difference between real life and the cinematic portrayal of legal practice?

The Standing Committee on Advertising grappled with that question August 18 before deciding the inquiring lawyer would not be benefitting from the star power of Matt Damon and Danny DeVito by showing and then discussing part of their movie, “The Rainmaker.” The committee also addressed a question from another lawyer who asked if he could be endorsed by a non-lawyer on that non-lawyer’s YouTube channel as well as several other matters.