Attorney Reviews: Ethical Ways to Get More Client Reviews Under Bar Advertising Rules

Stephen Gardner · Published November 4, 2026 · 9 min read

Attorney reviews matter for trust. Learn ethical ways to ask for more client reviews, reply safely, and stay inside Google, FTC and bar advertising rules.

# Attorney Reviews: Ethical Ways to Get More Client Reviews Under Bar Advertising Rules

Attorney reviews influence who gets the call. They also create more ways to get into trouble than reviews for most businesses, because lawyers owe duties of confidentiality and are bound by advertising rules on top of Google's policies and federal law. This guide explains how to ask clients for reviews in ways that fit all three, how to reply without revealing anything, and what to avoid. Family law firms get specific attention, because many of their clients would rather not have a public record of their matter. We are marketers, not lawyers, so confirm anything specific with your state bar or ethics counsel.

Quick summary

• Ask every client, the same way, without pressure, and without offering anything in return.
• Do not pick only the happy clients, and do not write or buy reviews.
• Never reveal client information in a reply, even to correct the record.
• Do not hide or suppress reviews you dislike, and do not threaten reviewers.
• Treat the ABA Model Rules as a guide, and check your own state's rules.

Why attorney reviews matter

Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and that prominence includes review count and score. People also read them: BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey (1,002 U.S. adults, covering local businesses generally, not law firms specifically) found that 97% of consumers read reviews, 47% would not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% care only about reviews from the last three months. It also found 31% require 4.5 stars or more and 68% require at least 4 stars. These are general figures, so treat them as direction, not as law-firm benchmarks.

For a firm, that means three things: review volume, recency and a pattern of honest feedback all matter, and a one-time push followed by silence is less useful than a steady process.

The rules that apply

Google's review policy. Google prohibits offering incentives for reviews, soliciting reviews selectively from happy customers, and requiring or pressuring customers to leave reviews on your premises. It also says merchants should not ask staff to solicit a certain number of reviews, or reviews containing specific content, and should not request that specific content be included. In practice: ask everyone, ask neutrally and offer nothing.

The FTC's consumer reviews rule (16 CFR Part 465). Among other things, it prohibits:

• Writing or selling fake consumer reviews, and buying reviews the business knew or should have known misrepresented the reviewer's experience (§465.2).
• Giving compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, positive or negative (§465.4).
• Insider reviews from officers or managers that lack a clear and conspicuous disclosure of their relationship to the business (§465.5).
• Using unfounded legal threats, physical threats, intimidation or knowingly false public accusations to stop or remove a review (§465.7).

The rule includes exceptions for generalized solicitations to purchasers to post reviews of their experience. That is the kind of ask this guide recommends.

ABA Model Rule 7.1. Communications about a lawyer's services must not be false or misleading. The commentary says a truthful communication can still mislead if it leads a reasonable person to expect the same results for other clients regardless of their specific facts, and a disclaimer may help. If you quote or feature reviews on your website, this applies.

ABA Model Rule 7.2(b). Lawyers generally may not pay others for recommending their services. The commentary defines a recommendation as endorsing or vouching for a lawyer's credentials, abilities, competence, character or other professional qualities. A review often does exactly that, so in our reading, giving anything of value in exchange for a review raises a Rule 7.2 problem as well as the Google and FTC issues. The commentary allows only a nominal token gift for referring a prospective client, and only if not promised in advance. That is about referrals, not reviews. Ask your counsel.

ABA Model Rule 1.6 and Formal Opinion 496. Rule 1.6 protects information relating to a representation. Formal Opinion 496 says lawyers generally should not respond to online criticism by revealing client information. A lawyer may ask the host to remove a review, invite the reviewer to contact the firm privately, or state that professional rules prevent a response, but should not argue the facts.

State rules. States adopt and modify the model rules, and some have specific provisions about testimonials, endorsements and required disclaimers. Check yours.

How to ask for reviews the right way

1. Pick consistent moments

Choose points where clients are most likely to have a view: at the close of a matter, after a milestone you set in advance, or in an end-of-engagement email. For family law, consider that a client may not want to post publicly at all, and that timing after a very emotional matter calls for sensitivity.

2. Ask everyone, in the same words

A consistent, generalized ask, such as "If you were satisfied with our service, you are welcome to share your experience on Google. Your feedback is voluntary and we do not need you to say anything in particular," treats every client alike. Do not screen first and send the link only to people who said they were happy. That is the selective solicitation Google's policy prohibits.

3. Make it easy and neutral

Include a direct link to your Google Business Profile review form and a short note that reviews are voluntary. Do not coach what to write. Do not provide a script of "recommended" wording. Do not ask for a star rating in advance.

4. Never offer anything in return

No discounts, gift cards, raffle entries, fee reductions or "free consultation for a friend" tied to a review. Under FTC rules, compensation conditioned on sentiment is prohibited, and Google bans incentives altogether.

5. Do not use staff to fill gaps

Firm lawyers, staff and their relatives should not post reviews of the firm as if they were clients. If an insider writes about the firm, FTC rules require a clear and conspicuous disclosure of the relationship. The safer course is not to do it.

6. Do not pressure on premises

Google's policy bars requiring or pressuring customers to leave reviews on site. A sign in the office reading "Review us!" is a different matter from a staffer standing over a client with a tablet. Keep it light, or do it by email afterward.

7. Protect privacy

Do not ask a client to post if doing so would reveal sensitive information about them. Remind clients that reviews are public. Never publicly confirm that someone was a client.

Replying to reviews

BrightLocal's survey found that 89% of consumers expect businesses to reply to reviews, and that 50% are put off by templated replies. For lawyers, the challenge is replying warmly without revealing anything.

Positive reviews. A short thank-you is generally safe, but even this can confirm a client relationship. Some firms prefer a general "Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback" that avoids any detail. Do not repeat what the reviewer said about the case.

Negative reviews. Wait before you reply. Do not argue the facts or share anything from the file. Consider a short general reply along these lines: "We take feedback seriously. Because of our professional obligations, we cannot discuss any matter publicly. We welcome the opportunity to speak privately." Then reach out privately if appropriate and if it does not create more problems.

Reviews that appear to be fake or violate Google's policy. Flag them to Google using the Business Profile tools. Do not threaten the reviewer.

Never offer money or favors in return for removing a review, and do not use a groundless legal threat to remove one. Those practices fall within the FTC's review suppression provisions and could create professional-conduct issues.

Have counsel approve your reply templates once, so staff are not improvising.

Displaying reviews on your website

• Display reviews accurately. Do not edit them or show only the positive ones while implying they represent all reviews. The FTC rule prohibits misrepresenting that displayed reviews represent most or all the reviews when reviews are being suppressed based on sentiment.
• If you quote a review about results, treat it like a statement about results under Rule 7.1, and consider an appropriate disclaimer. Your state may have additional requirements.
• If you use review markup, follow Google's structured data guidelines for review snippets, which restrict self-serving reviews of your own business. Check the current rules at the link in our editor notes before implementing.

Build a simple monthly process

1. Assign someone to own reviews.
2. Send the same generalized request at the end of every matter.
3. Check new reviews weekly and log them.
4. Reply using approved language.
5. Flag policy violations to Google.
6. Review monthly: count, recency, themes. Fix problems that show up repeatedly.

If you track results, look at review count and rating over time, as well as what clients praise or criticize. That feedback is useful for improving intake and communication, even if the review itself is hard to read. For how reviews fit with the rest of your site and profile, see our law firm SEO guide and family law marketing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a discount for leaving a review?

No. Google prohibits incentives for reviews, FTC rules prohibit compensation conditioned on review sentiment, and in our reading, ABA Rule 7.2(b) is also implicated. Do not do it.

Can I only ask clients who were happy?

No. Google's policy prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews. Ask all clients the same way.

Can I reply to a negative review and explain what happened?

Not publicly if it requires client information. ABA Formal Opinion 496 says lawyers generally should not reveal client information in responding. A short general response, or private outreach, is safer.

Can staff or family leave reviews for the firm?

It is risky. Under the FTC rule, insider reviews require a clear disclosure of the relationship, and fake reviews are prohibited. The safest approach is to not post them.

How many reviews do I need?

There is no magic number. In BrightLocal's general consumer survey, 47% of respondents would not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, but that was not specific to law firms. Aim for steady, honest reviews.

Get help with a review process

If you want a review process your ethics counsel can sign off on, our family law SEO team can help you set one up, as part of our legal SEO work.

Free Paw-sultation

This article is general marketing information, not legal advice. Attorney advertising and confidentiality rules vary by state, and the ABA Model Rules cited are models. Confirm requirements with your state bar or ethics counsel.