Testimonials by jurisdiction
Can lawyers use client reviews and testimonials in their marketing?
Yes in most places, with conditions that change at every border. A jurisdiction table, the rules on results, and a checklist before a quote goes on your site.
By Charlotte Thompson, Co-Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
In most of the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, lawyers may use genuine client testimonials, as long as they're true, not misleading, used with the client's permission, and don't imply that other clients will get the same result. Quebec is the outlier: the Barreau tells lawyers not to solicit testimonials online.
The conditions are where firms get caught. Florida's rule sets six, including that nothing of value was given for it, and the client's informed consent is needed as well. California presumes dollar results out of context are misleading in electronic ads. Ontario warns against testimonials with emotional appeals. BC requires every statement in one to be verifiable.
Charlotte runs content and review campaigns for our client firms, so this is the check we run before any client quote appears in marketing we make. This is a plain summary for marketing planning, not legal advice. Check the current rule with your bar or law society. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
Review or testimonial
A review on Google belongs to the client. The same words on your website are your testimonial.
Most rules on testimonials apply to what the lawyer publishes. Reviews clients leave on their own are mostly governed by the platform and consumer law until you reuse them.
BC's ethics advisory puts it plainly: an unsolicited Google or Yelp review the lawyer doesn't reproduce or refer to is unlikely to be a marketing activity. Reproduce it on your site, in an ad or in a social post, and the marketing rules apply to every word.
So there are two jobs. Collecting reviews within the rules is covered in our guides to getting more Google reviews and the rules on asking. This guide is about using them.
By jurisdiction
What each regulator says about testimonials in lawyer marketing.
These are the provisions we confirmed on official pages. States and provinces not listed still apply their general rule against misleading communications.
| Jurisdiction | The rule | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| ABA Model Rules | Rule 7.1 comment [3]: truthful reports of results can mislead if they create an unjustified expectation; a disclaimer or qualifying language may help | Results in testimonials need context |
| Florida | Rule 4-7.13(b)(9): qualified to judge, actual experience, typical, not written by the lawyer, nothing of value given, and a results disclaimer; the handbook adds the client's informed consent under Rule 4-1.6(a) | Written consent on file, and no gifts tied to it |
| California | B&P 6157.2: disclose impersonations and dramatizations of clients; no misleading statements about skills or record. 6158.1: results out of context and money recovered are presumed misleading in electronic ads; 6158.3 requires a disclosure | Video testimonials with dollar figures need the 6158.3 disclosure and context |
| New York | Since June 1, 2026, ABA-style rules replaced the detailed old provisions, and the "Attorney Advertising" label is no longer required on everything | Rule 7.1's misleading-communications test still applies |
| Ontario | Commentary to 4.2-1: marketing may breach the rule by raising expectations or using testimonials with emotional appeals | Factual quotes about service, not "they saved my life" |
| British Columbia | Testimonials must be true and verifiable; "great advice" or "knowledgeable" can't be verified | Quotes about what happened, not praise adjectives |
| Quebec | The Barreau's notice tells lawyers not to seek testimonials on social media or a professional web page, and to take down any that appear | Generally no testimonials online |
| Australia | ASCR rule 36: advertising must not be false, misleading or deceptive; the ACCC's guidance on misleading claims covers testimonials | Real, unedited, used with consent |
| UK | CAP Code 3.45 to 3.50: disclose incentives, no misleading selection, hold evidence it's genuine, permission required; the DMCC Act bans fake reviews | Keep the evidence and the permission on file |
Results
Testimonials that mention results are where the strictest rules apply.
A client saying "they got me $250,000" is a results claim, and most rules treat it like one whether you said it or they did.
- The ABA's test
Comment [3] to Rule 7.1 says a truthful report of results can still mislead if it leads a reasonable person to expect the same result without reference to the facts of each case. Disclaimers and qualifying language can help but aren't a cure-all.
- California's presumptions
In electronic ads, California presumes a message about a case result out of context, or about money received, is misleading. An ad portraying a result must either explain the facts and law behind it or say the result depended on the facts of that case and results will differ.
- Florida's disclaimer
Florida's testimonial conditions include a disclaimer where a testimonial contains specific results, in addition to the requirement that past results be objectively verifiable.
- The FTC's typical-results principle
The FTC's Endorsement Guides say an ad featuring exceptional results should make clear what people can generally expect. For lawyers, the bar rules above usually set a stricter bar anyway.
We follow the same discipline on our own site: every result we show is a real case study, stated the way the client gave it to us, next to a line that it's an individual result and not a promise. Our case studies and reviews pages show how that looks.
Before you publish
Seven checks before a client's words go into your marketing.
This list covers the conditions that recur across the jurisdictions above. Your own regulator's rule decides the details.
Is it real and unedited?
A genuine client wrote it about their own experience. Trimming for length is fine where your rules allow it; changing meaning isn't. The CAP Code requires documentary evidence that it's genuine.
Do you have written permission?
Florida requires the client's informed consent, and the CAP Code requires permission. Get it in writing, including for using their name or initials.
Was anything given for it?
Florida bars testimonials that were paid for in any way, the UK requires incentives to be disclosed, and Google bans incentives for reviews in the first place. The simple rule: nothing given, ever.
Does it mention a result?
Add the context or disclaimer your jurisdiction requires, or choose a quote about service instead.
Is every factual claim verifiable?
BC requires it outright. "She returned every call the same day" can be checked; "the best lawyer in the city" can't, and the superlative creates its own problem.
Is it emotional or about aggressiveness?
Ontario's commentary names both as possible breaches. Prefer quotes about clarity, responsiveness and process.
Is it typical, and does it match the matter?
Florida requires testimonials to be typical. The CAP Code says testimonials must relate to the service advertised, so an estate client's quote doesn't belong on a personal injury page.
Where testimonials show up
The same quote needs different handling on a website, in an ad and on social.
Format changes which rules bite. Paid placements add filing and disclosure rules; video adds dramatization rules.
- Website: the testimonial rules apply in full. Florida exempts the firm's own website from filing, but not from the content rules.
- Search and social ads: character limits make disclaimers hard, which is a good reason to keep results out of ad copy. Our guide to ad copy under bar rules covers that.
- Video: an actor portraying a client must be disclosed in California, and Florida has its own rules on dramatizations. Real clients on camera need written consent.
- Social media: reposting a review turns it into your testimonial. Our social media rules guide covers reposts.
- Local Services Ads and Google Business Profile: those reviews belong to Google and the client; you can reply, but not edit or select them.
What we see
Quotes about how a lawyer works do more than quotes about how a case ended.
In our client work, the testimonials that clear review with no changes, and read well, are about responsiveness, clarity and what the process felt like, not about money.
They're also the ones prospective clients relate to. Someone choosing a family law firm can't know their outcome yet, but they can tell whether this lawyer explains things and calls back. That's the quote that makes the call easier.
Our own approach on our site is the same: named reviews from lawyers, used with permission, with results kept to the case studies where the context sits next to them, like the DUI solo whose Local Services Ads generated $13,500 from $600 in ad spend. If you want this set up for your firm's site and social media, we review every quote against your rules first.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
The testimonial mistakes we catch most often in the marketing firms bring to us.
Big settlement numbers with no context
California presumes them misleading in electronic ads, and the ABA comment explains why. Pair results with facts or leave them out.
No written consent on file
Florida and the CAP Code both require permission. A screenshot of a Google review isn't consent to use it in an ad.
Lawyer-edited quotes
Florida bars testimonials written by the lawyer. Light trimming is one thing; rewriting is another.
Praise that can't be checked
"Brilliant", "knowledgeable", "the best" can't be verified, which is exactly BC's concern, and superlatives raise problems everywhere.
Using testimonials in Quebec
The Barreau's notice says not to solicit them online and to remove ones that appear. Firms practicing there should leave them out.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
How we present a result on our own site: the full context, next to a not-a-promise line.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
Can lawyers use client testimonials?
In most US states, Canadian provinces, Australia and the UK, yes, if they're genuine, used with permission and not misleading, especially about results. Florida, California and Ontario add specific conditions, and Quebec's Barreau tells lawyers not to solicit testimonials online.
Do I need a disclaimer on testimonials?
Often, when a testimonial mentions a result. Florida requires one for specific results, California requires a disclosure in electronic ads portraying results, and the ABA's comment to Rule 7.1 says qualifying language can help. New York no longer requires its old label on everything since June 1, 2026.
Can I put my Google reviews on my website?
Usually, with care. Once on your site they're your testimonials, so the rules above apply: genuine, permitted, not misleading. In BC every statement must be verifiable once you reproduce it. Keep a record of where each quote came from.
Can I use an actor to read a client's story?
Only with disclosure in most places. California requires disclosure of impersonations of clients and dramatizations in the ad itself. Real clients on camera need written consent.
Can I offer a client something for a video testimonial?
Not in Florida, where nothing of value may be given for a testimonial. In the UK incentives must be disclosed, and the FTC expects material connections to be disclosed in the US. We recommend never paying for testimonials.
Do these rules apply to case studies?
Yes. A case study is a results claim in your own words, so the results rules apply even without a client quote. Give the facts that led to the result and say it isn't a promise of any outcome.
Can you review our testimonials for us?
We check every quote we publish for a client against their jurisdiction's rules, and the lawyer approves it. The final call on your rules is yours. Schedule a consultation if you want help with your site.
Where we do this
The services this guide touches.
What this looks like when we run it for a firm, with a demo for your practice on each page.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- American Bar Association, Comment on Model Rule 7.1
- The Florida Bar, Handbook on Lawyer Advertising (13th ed., December 2025)
- California Legislative Information, Business and Professions Code, Article 9.5 (sections 6157 to 6159.2)
- New York State Bar Association, Understanding Changes to New York State Lawyer Advertising Rules
- Law Society of Ontario, Rules of Professional Conduct, Chapter 4
- Law Society of British Columbia, Ethics Advisory: Marketing activities
- Barreau du Québec, notice to members on social media conduct
- Law Council of Australia, Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules 2026
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, False or misleading claims
- Advertising Standards Authority, CAP Code section 3
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 255, Endorsement Guides
Written by
Co-founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads social media and content, runs onboarding for new client firms, and is on the regular check-in calls with clients.
More about CharlotteWant a second pair of eyes on this?
Book a free 30-minute call. Tell us how cases come in today, and we'll tell you straight what we'd change, and whether we can help.