Law firms
Reputation management for attorneys and law firms: stronger review profiles on Google and Avvo, replies that protect client confidentiality, and cleaner search results for every lawyer's name.
People rarely hire a lawyer on impulse. Someone facing a divorce, a DUI charge or a denied injury claim will usually search the firm, then search the individual attorney by name, then read reviews on two or three sites before they pick up the phone. Referrals still matter, but even a referred client checks you online first.
That makes law firm reputation management different from most industries. Your reviews come from people at a stressful point in their lives, some complaints come from people who were never your client, and the rules of professional conduct limit what you can say back. We help firms build a strong, accurate presence within those limits.
A prospective client might see any of these before they call:
In litigation, someone usually walks away unhappy. A client who lost a custody hearing may blame their lawyer even when the outcome had nothing to do with the quality of the work. These reviews are genuine, so they generally stay up, but how you respond decides how they read.
An opposing party, or their relative, sometimes posts a one-star review of the lawyer who beat them. They were never your client. Google’s policies on conflicts of interest and fake engagement can apply here, so these reviews are often worth reporting with a clear explanation of who the reviewer is (without revealing anything confidential about your own client).
Many excellent firms have very few reviews because they never ask. Clients are grateful but tired at the end of a matter, and no one sends them a link. A profile with a handful of reviews lets one angry post dominate.
A decade-old article about a bar complaint that was dismissed, or coverage of a high-profile case, can sit at the top of a partner’s name search for years. Sometimes the fix is getting a source to update its page; more often it is building accurate, current content that outranks it.
Every engagement follows our Audit, Repair, Protect method, adapted to legal practice.
For named partners and trial lawyers with a public profile, personal reputation management focuses on the individual’s name results. Firms that depend on local search should also look at Google Business Profile management, especially if you have several offices.
This is where firms most often get into trouble. ABA Model Rule 1.6 bars lawyers from revealing information relating to a client’s representation, and ABA Formal Opinion 496 (2021) concluded that a negative online review alone does not permit a lawyer to disclose confidential information in response. Even confirming that the reviewer was a client can be a problem.
In practice, safe replies are short and general. A reply might say that the firm takes all feedback seriously, that professional obligations prevent discussing any matter publicly, and that the person is welcome to call the office. You can also ask the platform to remove a post that breaks its rules. What you should not do is correct the reviewer’s account of their case, however unfair it feels.
We don’t write reviews, post from fake accounts, or send threatening letters to former clients who left honest criticism. Beyond breaking platform rules and the FTC’s 2024 rule on fake reviews, tactics like these can raise professional conduct issues and tend to attract exactly the attention a firm wants to avoid. If a review contains false statements of fact that harm your practice, talk to a lawyer who handles defamation about whether a claim makes sense; we can help with the platform side.
Not sure where to start?
Get a free audit of your search results and review profiles, with a prioritized fix list.
Get a free auditYes, but carefully. Under ABA Formal Opinion 496 and most state guidance, you should not reveal anything about the client’s matter, including in many cases whether they were a client. A brief, professional reply that invites the person to contact the firm directly is usually the safest approach. Check your own state bar’s guidance too.
Only if it breaks Avvo’s guidelines, for example if it was posted by someone who was never your client or contains abusive or off-topic content. We can help you identify and report those. A genuine review from a real client generally stays, so the answer is a measured reply and more reviews from satisfied clients.
In most cases, yes. Google and most legal directories allow you to ask clients for honest reviews, as long as you ask everyone and don’t offer anything in return for positive ones. Your state’s advertising and solicitation rules still apply, so confirm how your state bar treats client reviews and testimonials before you start.
Both. Firms usually want their office profiles and overall rating improved, while individual lawyers often care most about what shows up when someone searches their name. Many engagements cover both.
Guides
The service recovery paradox says a well-handled complaint can leave customers happier than if nothing went wrong. The evidence is mixed. Here's what holds up and how to apply it.
Incentivized reviews are reviews given in exchange for a reward. Here's what the FTC's 2024 rule, the Endorsement Guides, Google and Amazon say, and how to ask for reviews safely.
The Consumer Review Fairness Act voids contract clauses that gag or penalize honest reviews. Here's what it covers, what it doesn't, and what you can still do about bad reviews.
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