Wasn't that long ago that advertising was off limits to lawyers and law firms. The prevailing thought was that lawyer ads somehow demeaned the profession. That stodgy attitude started to change with the Supreme Court's 1977 Bates vs. Arizona Bates vs. Arizona ruling that the First Amendment allows lawyers to advertise, provided the message is not misleading to the public.

Thirty-one years later, some firms are really embracing creative advertising(other firms, not so much). Gardere Wynne Sewell, for example, understands that such a campaign can go hand in hand with being a big, internationally respected firm. Gardere was recently singled out to receive the prestigious "Award of Distinction" from the International Academy of the Visual Arts Communicator Awards for its smart "They call it/We call it" campaign.