Legal Services Advertising: A Re-Examination and Extension

ABSTRACT Legal services advertising is examined within the framework of categorization and persuasive communications theories. Advertising cues that are moderately congruent with an attorneys' schema are suggested to encourage consumers to engage in more elaborate message processing. The believability of legal services advertising is addressed using the persuasive communication theory. It is suggested that consumers' initial attitudinal position exerts a positive influence on the believability of message arguments in legal services advertisements. Public policy and consumer behavior implications are discussed.