Alabama State Disciplinary Commission rules attorneys can't participate in Groupon and other similar services

Contrary to opinions from several other state bars that have addressed this subject, the Alabama State Disciplinary Commission has issued an opinion concluding that a lawyer's use of websites like Groupon to sell legal services violates the ethics rule against sharing legal fees with nonlawyers, as well as the ethics rule requiring all unearned fees to be placed into a trust account and may violate rules on conflicts of interest, competence, diligence, and communication, the commission warned.  The opinion (no. RO 2012-01) is available here.