Asking Clients for Google Reviews Without Breaking Your State Bar's Rules

You can ask clients for Google reviews. Ask every eligible client the same way, at a point when their matter has resolved or reached a natural milestone, without offering anything in return and without screening for happy clients first. Keep the request neutral, never write or post the review for them, and check your state's rules on testimonials and client communications before you build the process, because those rules differ from state to state. Treat what follows as a checklist of questions to take to your state bar or ethics counsel.

The questions below come up as soon as a firm decides to take reviews seriously.

Is it allowed for a lawyer to ask a client for a review at all?

Generally, yes. Asking a satisfied client to describe their experience is not, by itself, solicitation of new clients and not a false statement. The ABA Model Rules that bear most on reviews are Rule 7.1 (what a lawyer says about their services can't be false or misleading), Rule 7.2 (specific rules, among them the general ban on paying for recommendations) and Rule 1.6 (confidentiality of information). Your state's versions of those rules control, and some states have issued their own guidance on online reviews and testimonials. The ABA Model Rules table of contents is a good place to start reading, and your state bar's site is the place to finish.

When in a personal injury case should we ask?

After the client has their money and the file is closing is the cleanest moment. By then the outcome is known, the client isn't waiting on you for anything, and a review can't look like a condition of service.

Moments to avoid:

• At intake. The client hasn't experienced your work yet, and a request that early can read as pressure.
• During negotiation or litigation. A client who is still depending on the firm may not feel free to say no, and anything they write could touch on the case while it is open.
• Right after a hard conversation, such as a low offer or a denied claim.
• In wrongful death matters, unless the family raises it. Some families want to say something publicly about how they were treated. Others will not, and a routine request can land badly.

Sometimes a client offers to write something while the case is still open. Thank them, and suggest waiting until the file closes, when nothing they write can touch an open matter and the request is the same one every client gets.

Can we offer a gift card, a raffle entry or a charity donation for a review?

No, and two separate rule sets point the same way. Google's own review policies prohibit offering incentives in exchange for reviews. Model Rule 7.2 generally keeps lawyers from rewarding people for recommending them, outside a few narrow exceptions, and a review is a recommendation made in public. A donation "for every review" is still something of value tied to a review. Thank-you notes are fine. Anything with monetary value attached to leaving a review is the part to avoid.

What is review gating, and why is it a problem?

Review gating means sending a private satisfaction question first and inviting only the clients who answer positively to post on Google. Unhappy clients get routed to a private feedback form instead. Google's policies prohibit selectively asking for positive reviews. There is also a misleading-communication question under Rule 7.1: a review profile built only from pre-screened clients presents a picture of the firm that the firm itself engineered. Ask everyone, or ask no one.

Can a paralegal write the review and have the client approve it?

No. The review should be the client's own words, posted from the client's own account. Drafting reviews for clients, posting them from office devices or office internet connections, or having staff and their relatives leave reviews all create the same problem: a communication about the firm that isn't what it appears to be. It is also an easy way to get reviews filtered out or the profile flagged.

What if the client mentions their settlement amount?

A client can say what they want about their own case. The issues come later, when the firm reuses that review. If you quote a review that mentions a dollar figure on your website, in an ad or on social media, it may become a testimonial or a statement about results under your state's rules, and some states require disclaimers or limit how results can be presented. Do not suggest that clients include amounts, and decide in advance how you will handle reviews that do. Separately, do not add details the client left out when you reply; that is a confidentiality question under Rule 1.6.

Can we ask referring lawyers, medical providers or friends for reviews?

Reviews should come from people who had a real experience with the firm as clients. Swapping reviews with other firms, or asking providers you work with, invites both a Google policy problem and a question about whether something of value is changing hands for a recommendation. If a co-counsel attorney wants to say something, a professional endorsement on another platform is a cleaner place for it, subject to that platform's rules and yours.

How should we reply to reviews?

Reply briefly and generally to positive reviews: thank the person without confirming details of their matter beyond what they wrote. Negative reviews need more care. ABA Formal Opinion 496 (2021) says lawyers responding to online criticism must not reveal information relating to a client's representation. Even confirming that the reviewer was a client can be a problem. A short, polite reply that invites the person to contact the office, without discussing the case, is usually the safe structure. Your state may have its own opinion on point.

Can we display Google reviews on our website?

Possibly, with care. Once reviews appear on your site, they are your communication, and your state's rules on testimonials, endorsements and results apply to them. That can mean a disclaimer, limits on reviews that describe outcomes, or other conditions your state sets. Check before you build the widget.

A neutral request you can adapt

Here is a template for a closing-file email. Adjust it to your state's requirements and your firm's voice.

Subject: Thank you from [Firm Name]

Hi [First name], your file with us is now closed. Thank you for trusting us with your case. If you would like to share your experience, positive or negative, you can leave a Google review here: [link]. There is no obligation, and it will not affect anything about your file. If you have any questions about your case, reply to this email and we will get back to you.

Notice what it leaves out: no case details in the subject line, no request for five stars, no mention of the outcome, no incentive.

Make it a process, not a push

Reviews that arrive steadily from every closed file look and read differently from a burst after a campaign. Put the request in your closing checklist, send it from a firm address, and record who was asked and when. Reviews feed the map pack directly, which is why they are a core part of local SEO for personal injury lawyers. For the profile itself, see our notes on Google Business Profile for personal injury firms.

If you want us to look at your current review profile and how it compares with the firms around you in the map, ask for a free SEO case review.