For law firms
Collect client testimonials for your law firm without creating an ethics problem
Lawyer advertising rules treat a client’s words as your advertising, and a quote about the result of a case can mislead the next client. Check each testimonial against the list below, ask about the experience rather than the outcome, and collect it with StoryProof.
- A pre-publication check for every client quote
- Questions that steer clear of outcomes and fees
- Space to record what your state bar requires
The problem, solved
Where law firm testimonials go wrong, and how StoryProof keeps a lawyer in the loop
Each of these risks is decided by a person at your firm. StoryProof makes sure that person sees every quote first.
Situation 1 of 4
Quoting the result
A settlement figure or "they won my case" can lead a reader to expect the same outcome. The commentary to ABA Model Rule 7.1 names exactly this as a source of unjustified expectations.
How StoryProof solves it
Every submission sits unpublished until someone at the firm approves it, so a quote that names a verdict can be declined before a prospective client ever reads it.
Situation 2 of 4
Revealing the matter
A happy client may mention the dispute, the other side or their health. Publishing that can disclose information you are obliged to protect, even when the client wrote it.
How StoryProof solves it
Clients can answer in a few typed lines instead of on camera, which makes a stray case detail easier to spot, and nothing they send goes live without your approval.
Situation 3 of 4
Fifty sets of rules
States adopt their own versions of the advertising rules. Some add disclaimers or labels for testimonials, and a few are stricter still about client endorsements.
How StoryProof solves it
Tags on every plan let you mark which jurisdiction a quote was cleared for, and each widget shows only the testimonials you pick, so a state office page carries only quotes checked against that state.
Situation 4 of 4
Asking at the wrong moment
A client who has just received good news will say yes to anything, and may regret a quote once the relief fades. Ask after the file is closed and they have had time to think.
How StoryProof solves it
The request is an email you send to a contact you have added, so it goes out when the file is closed and the client has agreed, not on a timer you forgot about.
Checklist
Before a client quote goes on your site
Run each testimonial through this list. Items marked as state questions are things to look up in your own jurisdiction’s rules; the list cannot answer them for you. This is not legal advice.
The checklist runs in your browser. Nothing you tick is saved or sent.
Prompts
Questions about the experience, not the verdict
Clients can describe how you treated them without describing their case. These prompts keep them there.
When a matter closes
- How did we keep you informed while things were uncertain?
- What was it like to work with our team?
- What would you tell someone who is nervous about calling a lawyer?
Leave out
- The outcome, award or settlement
- Names of the other side
Ongoing business clients
- How quickly do you get a clear answer when you need one?
- How has working with us changed the way you handle legal questions?
Leave out
- Transactions or disputes that are not public
In StoryProof
The workflow in StoryProof
- You will need
- Your firm’s written permission form, reviewed by whoever handles your ethics questions
- A StoryProof workspace
- 1
Get written permission first
Keep the signed permission with the client file, not in your marketing tools. Only send the link to clients who have agreed.
- 2
Build a form around the prompts above
Clients answer by video, audio note or a few written lines from the same link, so nobody has to appear on camera.
- 3
Email the link after the matter closes
StoryProof sends the request by email from your workspace.
- 4
Review each submission yourself
Submissions wait in a queue until someone approves them. Do not switch on automatic approval for a law firm: a five-star answer that names the settlement still needs a human to catch it.
- 5
Tag, then publish
Tag each approved quote with the permission date and the jurisdiction it was reviewed for, then add it to a widget or your Wall of Love.
What happens next: If a client withdraws permission, remove their quote from every widget and the Wall of Love the same day, and note it against their tag.
Before you start
Honest limits
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
This is not legal advice
The checklist summarizes the ABA model rule and common state variations. Your own state’s rules and ethics opinions decide what is allowed.
- 02
Disclaimers are your page copy
Put any required disclaimer in your own page text beside the widget, where you control the wording and can update it if the rules change.
- 03
A disclaimer may not be enough
Some state ethics opinions have found that a disclaimer cannot rescue a testimonial that creates unjustified expectations. Leaving the outcome out is the safer route.
- 04
Practice areas carry different risk
A quote from a corporate client about responsiveness is a different exposure from one written by a family law or criminal defence client. Decide with your ethics adviser which practice groups collect testimonials at all.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Are lawyers allowed to use client testimonials?
Under the ABA Model Rules, truthful testimonials are generally permitted as long as they are not false or misleading. States differ, and some add conditions such as disclaimers, so check your own jurisdiction.
Can a testimonial mention that we won the case?
It is the riskiest thing a legal testimonial can say. The commentary to Rule 7.1 treats statements about results for other clients as likely to create unjustified expectations. Ask about the experience instead.
Can I republish a client’s online review on my website?
Treat it like any testimonial: get the client’s permission, check it for case details, and apply your state’s rules before it appears on a page you control.
Should a lawyer or a marketer approve each testimonial?
A lawyer, or whoever handles ethics questions at your firm. A marketer can gather and tag submissions, but the call on whether a quote reveals confidential information or implies a result is a professional judgement.
What if a client wants to stay anonymous?
Let them, and still check the quote for details that could identify them or the matter. Ask your adviser whether your state has any rule about presenting anonymous client endorsements.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Set up a careful collection form
Build a form with experience-only prompts and send it to a client who has already given written permission.
Sources
- Model Rule 7.1: Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services, and Comment, American Bar Association. Checked 2026-11-04.
Last updated 2026-11-04.