Advertising & Sponsorship Policy

About this policy

This policy sets out the principles and terms that govern all advertising, sponsorship, and paid content partnerships with The Profession. It applies to display advertising, event sponsorships, sponsored editorial content, showcase articles, and any other arrangement under which a commercial party provides consideration to The Profession in connection with publication or promotion.

This policy is a public document. It is published on The Profession website so that readers, contributors, and prospective commercial partners can understand the framework within which commercial arrangements are made and the standards all such arrangements must meet.

This policy should be read alongside The Profession’s Ownership, Independence & Conflict of Interest Policy, which sets out the broader principles governing editorial independence and the relationship between The Profession’s commercial activities and its professional obligations as a publication operated by practising lawyers.

The principle behind this policy

The Profession accepts commercial arrangements. It does so because publishing is a commercial activity and because well-structured commercial relationships, properly disclosed, are entirely compatible with independent editorial integrity.

The Profession does not accept the premise that advertising and editorial quality are inherently in tension. They are in tension only when the line between them is blurred. This policy exists to keep that line clear — for readers, for commercial partners, and for The Profession itself.

The single non-negotiable in every commercial arrangement: readers always know what is paid and what is not. There are no exceptions to this rule.

What The Profession accepts

The Profession accepts the following categories of commercial arrangement:

Display advertising

Standard digital display advertising placed on The Profession platform, including banner placements, sidebar units, and newsletter advertising. Display advertising is clearly identified as advertising. It does not influence editorial content in any way.

Sponsored content & showcase articles

Articles and editorial-format content produced in partnership with a commercial sponsor, for which consideration has been received by The Profession. Sponsored content is subject to the editorial quality standard set out in Section 3 of this policy. All sponsored content is clearly and prominently labelled as sponsored at the point of publication.

Showcase articles are a specific format of sponsored content designed to present a commercial partner’s work, expertise, capabilities, or perspective in an editorial format. They are written either by the sponsor, by The Profession in collaboration with the sponsor, or by The Profession independently on the basis of a brief provided by the sponsor. In all cases, the commercial basis of the content is disclosed.

Event sponsorship

Sponsorship of events produced or co-produced by The Profession, including industry roundtables, conferences, networking events, and award programmes. Event sponsorship does not confer any right to influence the content, format, or outcomes of an event. Sponsor acknowledgement at events is separate from, and does not affect, the substantive programme.

Newsletter sponsorship

Sponsored placements within The Profession newsletter, clearly labelled as sponsored. Newsletter sponsorship does not influence editorial selection or the framing of editorial content in the same edition.

Content partnerships

Structured partnerships with organisations — including law firms, legal technology companies, industry bodies, and professional services providers — for the co-production of content series, research publications, or practice guides. Content partnerships are governed by a written agreement setting out the respective contributions of each party and the editorial standards that apply. All content produced under a content partnership is labelled accordingly.

What The Profession does not accept

The Profession will not enter into any commercial arrangement that:

• Requires or involves any editorial content being published, amended, withheld, or removed on the basis of commercial consideration rather than editorial judgment;
• Involves a sponsor or advertiser being given approval rights over editorial content that is not itself the subject of the commercial arrangement;
• Requires The Profession to publish content that is exclusively promotional in substance and has no genuine informational, analytical, or practical value to readers;
• Creates a relationship in which the identity of a commercial sponsor is concealed from readers;
• Would, in the assessment of The Profession’s principals, compromise or materially risk the appearance of compromising their obligations as practising lawyers; or
• Involves content that is misleading, defamatory, in breach of applicable law, or inconsistent with The Profession’s editorial standards.

The editorial quality standard

This is the most important section of this policy.

Every piece of content published by The Profession — whether independent editorial, contributor-submitted, or commercially sponsored — is assessed against the same editorial standard before publication:

Is this content genuinely interesting, genuinely useful, or of genuine benefit to The Profession’s readership? If the answer is no, the content will not be published, regardless of what is paid.

What this means for sponsored content

The editorial quality standard applies to sponsored and paid content in exactly the same way it applies to independent content. Commercial consideration does not substitute for editorial merit. It does not lower the threshold for publication. It does not obligate The Profession to publish content it considers to be without genuine value to its readers.

In practice, this means:

• Sponsored content must contain genuine information, insight, analysis, or perspective that a reader could find useful or interesting — independent of any promotional intent on the part of the sponsor;
• Content that is purely promotional — that exists only to advertise a product, service, or organisation without providing any substantive value beyond the advertisement itself — will not be accepted;
• The Profession may request revisions to sponsored content before publication where the submitted content does not meet the editorial quality standard;
• The Profession may decline to publish sponsored content that, after revision, still does not meet the standard — without being obliged to provide a refund unless otherwise agreed in writing; and
• The editorial quality standard is applied by The Profession’s editorial team, whose assessment is final.

The distinction that matters

The line The Profession draws is between content that happens to reflect well on a sponsor and content whose only purpose is to reflect well on a sponsor.

A showcase article about a firm’s pro bono programme that contains genuine information about the work, the clients served, and the legal issues involved can be valuable to readers who care about access to justice, pro bono practice, or what large firms actually do. That article is publishable.

A showcase article that says, in various ways, that a firm is excellent and readers should instruct it, and nothing else, is an advertisement. Advertisements are publishable too — but as advertisements, not as editorial content, and not under The Profession’s masthead as if they were independently assessed.

Every editorial decision about sponsored content turns on which side of that line the content falls.

Disclosure requirements

Transparency with readers is an absolute requirement. The Profession applies the following disclosure standards to all commercial content:

Sponsored articles and showcase content

All sponsored articles and showcase content will carry a clear and prominent disclosure at the top of the article — before the reader encounters the substantive content. The disclosure will identify the content as sponsored and name the sponsoring party. It will not be buried in footers, presented in small print, or otherwise obscured.

The disclosure label used will be one of the following, applied as appropriate to the nature of the arrangement:

• Sponsored Content
• Paid Partnership
• Showcase — Sponsored by [Partner Name]
• Produced in partnership with [Partner Name]

The specific label used will be agreed with the commercial partner in advance and will accurately describe the nature of the arrangement.

Newsletter sponsorship

Sponsored placements in The Profession newsletter will be labelled as ‘Sponsored’ or ‘Advertisement’ immediately adjacent to the placement. They will be visually distinct from editorial newsletter content.

Event sponsorship

Sponsors of The Profession events will be acknowledged in event materials, on the event page, and at the event itself. Acknowledgement will make clear the sponsor’s role as a commercial supporter of the event, not as an endorser of content or outcomes.

Content partnerships

Content produced under a content partnership will carry a disclosure identifying the partnership and the nature of each party’s contribution where that is relevant to the reader’s assessment of the content.

No hidden commercial relationships

The Profession will not publish any content about a current commercial partner without disclosing that relationship, where it is relevant to the reader’s assessment of the content. This applies to editorial content as well as sponsored content. Where The Profession covers a topic or entity with which it has a commercial relationship, that relationship will be disclosed at the point of publication.

Who The Profession partners with

The Profession’s audience is the Australian legal community — practising lawyers, in-house counsel, barristers, law students, legal academics, and professionals working adjacent to the law. Commercial partners should be organisations with a genuine and relevant connection to that community.

The Profession welcomes commercial partnerships with organisations including:

• Law firms and barristers’ chambers;
• Legal technology and legal operations companies;
• Professional indemnity and insurance providers serving the legal profession;
• Legal publishers, CPD providers, and professional education organisations;
• Recruitment and legal search firms;
• Banking, financial services, and wealth management providers serving lawyers and law firms;
• Industry bodies, bar associations, and law societies;
• Universities and law schools; and
• Other professional services providers whose offer is genuinely relevant to The Profession’s readership.

Suitability assessment

The Profession reserves the right to decline any commercial arrangement with any party, for any reason, without being required to provide reasons. In particular, The Profession will not enter into commercial arrangements with parties whose activities, products, or public conduct are, in The Profession’s assessment, inconsistent with the values of the legal profession or the interests of The Profession’s readership.

The Profession’s principals are practising lawyers and are subject to professional conduct obligations that bear on the commercial relationships they enter into in connection with The Profession. Where a proposed commercial arrangement would, in the assessment of those principals, create a conflict with their professional obligations or the independence requirements set out in the Ownership, Independence & Conflict of Interest Policy, that arrangement will not be accepted.

Commercial partnership process

The following process applies to all commercial arrangements with The Profession:

Step 1 — Initial enquiry

Prospective commercial partners should contact The Profession at marketing@theprofession.au with a description of the proposed arrangement, the organisation seeking to partner, and the relevant content or placement being considered. The Profession will respond to initial enquiries within five business days.

Step 2 — Assessment

The Profession will assess the proposed arrangement against the criteria in this policy, including the editorial quality standard, the suitability of the commercial partner, and whether any conflict of interest arises for The Profession’s principals. The Profession may request further information before completing its assessment.

Step 3 — Agreement

Where The Profession agrees to proceed, the terms of the arrangement will be set out in a written agreement signed by both parties. The agreement will specify the nature of the arrangement, the consideration payable, the timeline for publication or delivery, the editorial quality standard that applies, and the disclosure requirements. No commercial arrangement takes effect until a written agreement has been executed.

Step 4 — Content production and editorial review

For sponsored content and showcase articles, content will be produced in accordance with the agreed brief. The Profession’s editorial team will review all content before publication and may request revisions where the content does not meet the editorial quality standard. The Profession’s editorial assessment is final.

Step 5 — Publication and disclosure

Content will be published with the agreed disclosure label, in the agreed format and placement. The Profession will confirm publication to the commercial partner and provide a link to the published content.

Step 6 — Post-publication

The Profession retains the right to amend or remove published sponsored content after publication where it is found to contain errors, has become misleading, or is otherwise inconsistent with The Profession’s editorial standards. The Profession will notify the commercial partner of any material post-publication amendment.

Rates & commercial terms

The Profession publishes a rate card for standard commercial placements. The rate card is available on request from marketing@theprofession.au and is updated periodically.

Rates for bespoke content partnerships, event sponsorships, and multi-placement arrangements are negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be confirmed in the written agreement for each arrangement.

Payment terms

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the following standard payment terms apply:

• Display advertising: payment in advance of publication;
• Sponsored content and showcase articles: 50% on execution of the written agreement, 50% on publication;
• Event sponsorship: payment terms as specified in the event sponsorship agreement;
• Newsletter sponsorship: payment in advance of the relevant newsletter edition;
• Content partnerships: payment schedule as specified in the content partnership agreement.

All amounts are quoted and payable in Australian dollars. GST is applicable where required by law.

Cancellation

Cancellation terms are set out in the written agreement for each arrangement. In the absence of specific cancellation terms, the following defaults apply:

• Cancellation more than 30 days before the scheduled publication or event date: full refund of amounts paid, less any reasonable costs incurred by The Profession in connection with the arrangement;
• Cancellation within 30 days of the scheduled date: no refund of the first instalment; refund of the second instalment where content has not yet been published;
• Cancellation after publication: no refund.

The Profession reserves the right to cancel a commercial arrangement at any time where the commercial partner has breached the terms of the written agreement, has provided materially inaccurate information, or where The Profession’s principals determine that proceeding with the arrangement would compromise their professional obligations. In such circumstances, The Profession will refund amounts paid on a pro-rata basis for services not yet delivered.

Governing principles

The following principles govern every commercial arrangement The Profession enters into, and take precedence over any specific commercial term in the event of conflict:

• Readers first. Every decision about commercial content — whether to accept it, how to label it, whether to publish it — is made with reference to the interests of The Profession’s readers. Commercial consideration does not override that obligation.
• Transparency always. The commercial basis of every piece of commercial content is disclosed to readers, clearly and prominently, without exception. There is no arrangement under which The Profession will conceal a commercial relationship from its readers.
• Editorial quality is non-negotiable. Sponsored content that does not meet The Profession’s editorial quality standard will not be published. The editorial quality standard is applied independently of commercial considerations. A commercial partner’s view of the quality of their content is not determinative.
• Independence is structural. The Profession’s commercial relationships do not affect the independence of its editorial content. No advertiser, sponsor, or commercial partner has any right to influence, approve, or suppress editorial content that is not itself the subject of the commercial arrangement.
• Professional obligations are paramount. The Profession’s principals are practising lawyers. Their professional conduct obligations apply to their commercial activities in connection with The Profession in the same way they apply to their professional practice. No commercial arrangement will be entered into that would require The Profession’s principals to act inconsistently with those obligations.

The Executive Team for The Profession
theprofession.au
marketing@theprofession.au
Last updated: May 2026