What attorney advertising rules apply to AI search content?

Do attorney advertising rules cover pages made for AI search?

A public page can explain the law and tell readers what your firm does. A blog post, FAQ or service page can contain claims about your work. The channel does not settle the issue.

Texas and Florida have ad filing rules. Both treat most website pages differently from other ads. In Texas, homepage content may still need filing. Florida exempts website information from filing, though it must still comply with the ad rules.

Example: Your firm answers a common estate question, then invites readers to call. Review both the legal answer and the claim about your services.

An AI answer might quote only part of a page. Put enough context close to each claim to help it stand on its own. An outside AI can still leave that context out.

A page can mix general information with an offer of help. Read the page as a whole, including the headline and the invitation to contact the firm. A useful legal answer does not remove the need to support a claim about the firm.

The starting points are Texas Part VII and Florida Rules 4-7.19 and 4-7.20.

How do California's rules compare?

California has its own rules for communications about a lawyer and legal services. Its Rule 7.1 uses a false-or-misleading standard, like the ABA model rule. The California rule covers all types of communications about a lawyer or the lawyer's services. When you review a page, look at the message a reader would receive, including any facts left out.

The details matter when you describe fees or results. California's rule says an express guarantee of a result is false or misleading. Its comment also says a no-fee-without-recovery claim is misleading unless it explains whether the client must pay costs. Check that your page makes that point clear if you use such a claim.

A reported result or testimonial can also mislead if it creates an unjustified expectation. A disclaimer can often help, according to the rule's comment. Read the result and its context together. Ask whether a reader could expect the same outcome in a different matter. Do not rely on a short claim alone to give the full picture.

If a vendor helps prepare your page, give the reviewer the draft and the support for its claims. ABA Model Rule 5.3 addresses a lawyer's duties when nonlawyers help. ABA Formal Opinion 512 also calls for suitable review of AI output because those tools can make mistakes. A lawyer can check the legal points and the firm's service claims before you share the page.

Use your own state's rules for the final review. A model rule can be a useful starting point, but the state rule supplies details you need to check. California's rules took effect November 1, 2018.

What makes a lawyer claim false or misleading?

Rule 7.1 bars false or misleading claims about a lawyer or the lawyer’s services. A true fact can mislead if it leaves out a fact needed to make the full message clear.

Look at claims about who does the work, what the firm handles, where it serves clients and what a fee covers. Update a page when a lawyer leaves or a practice changes.

Example: A page says the firm handles a type of case, but the firm has stopped taking those matters. Update the page and short answers that repeat the old claim.

Past results need care. A true result can create an unfair expectation of the same result. Example wording: “Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.” A note can add context, but it cannot fix every misleading claim.

Example: A page says “best DUI lawyer in Austin.” An unsupported comparison like that can mislead under the comment to Rule 7.1. Keep proof for claims that compare the firm with others.

A claim that a lawyer is a certified specialist needs more than a label. Under ABA Rule 7.2, the lawyer must have certification from an approved or ABA-accredited group, and the page must name that group.

For past results, place any needed context near the result itself. A reader who sees a short excerpt should not be left with the impression that the same result is assured. The facts of each matter differ, and a true figure can still give the wrong impression.

The test is Rule 7.1: would the whole message leave a reasonable client with a false impression?

Who should review AI-written content?

A person at the firm should own the final review. A writer or outside vendor can help prepare a page, but a fluent draft is not proof that its claims are sound.

The model rules address lawyer duties when nonlawyers help with firm work. The ABA also warns that AI output can contain mistakes and calls for suitable review. Check the law, claims about the firm and sources behind them.

Example: A draft says a lawyer holds a special credential. The reviewer asks for proof. If the firm cannot support the claim, change it before sharing the page.

Check names and roles as well as legal points. A draft might mix up a lawyer’s title, describe a closed office or state a service too broadly. Read links and short page summaries too.

Model Rule 7.2 calls for the name and contact details of a lawyer or firm responsible for the message. Texas and Florida also require office location information in ads.

Does an AI-written page need a disclosure? ABA Formal Opinion 512 discusses AI use, but it does not fully address advertising. It calls for suitable review of AI output; it does not settle every ad question.

The final reviewer can compare the page with the firm’s actual services. A service description, a short answer and a contact prompt may each appear on their own. Each should give readers a fair picture of the help the firm offers.

ABA Model Rule 5.3 addresses a lawyer’s duties when nonlawyers help.

How are a public page and direct contact different?

ABA Model Rule 7.3 defines solicitation as a message initiated by or for a lawyer, aimed at a specific person the lawyer knows or should know needs legal help in a particular matter, that offers legal services for that matter. It also limits live person-to-person solicitation for financial gain, with exceptions.

The rule’s comment says a website aimed at the public, or content automatically generated in response to an online search, is not solicitation. A public page must still make truthful claims.

Example: A firm posts a general guide about probate. Later, a team member wants to contact a person about a known matter. Those are different forms of outreach.

A general guide can answer a question without addressing a person about that person’s own matter. A later message offering help with a known matter has a different audience and purpose. The rule draws that distinction when it defines solicitation.

What a reader asks, what the firm sends back and whether contact is live can matter. The public page and later outreach raise different questions under Rule 7.3.

What should you do if an AI answer gets your firm wrong?

First, check the page that may be behind the answer. Is the firm’s own claim accurate and clear? Is a key limit far away from the claim? Fix an error on your page through your normal review process. Keep a copy of what you saw so the right person can understand the issue.

An outside AI may paraphrase a page or leave out context. A short answer on your site can reduce ambiguity, but it cannot control every answer another system produces. Do not treat a single AI response as proof that all readers see the same words.

Example: An AI answer says a firm takes every case in a field. The firm page says it handles only some matters in that field. The reviewer checks whether the page makes that limit easy to find and corrects any vague wording on the firm’s own site.

If the answer involves a serious claim about your firm, give the facts to a lawyer at the firm or ethics counsel. Save the text, the question used to get it, and the date. Check the service’s available ways to report a problem. Do not assume that an outside answer can be fixed on a set schedule.

A short claim can travel beyond the page where it first appeared. When the firm changes a service, compare the main page with the brief descriptions that repeat it. A clear limit next to the claim gives readers more context when they encounter the firm’s own words.

Review short descriptions when the firm changes its services. A title, snippet or old page can repeat a stale claim. Give each item an owner and a route for correction. The standard for the firm’s own claims is Rule 7.1.

What should your firm check before a page goes live?

• Confirm each claim about the firm and its services
• Check the law and the source for each legal point
• Read results and fee claims with their full context
• Check the rules for each state that applies
• Ask your state bar whether the page or post must be filed
• Confirm the responsible lawyer or firm and contact details
• Have a lawyer review uncertain claims and outreach
• Set an owner to correct the page when facts change under Rule 7.1

How can you make review part of your publishing work?

Start with a list of the pages that make claims about the firm. Mark the ones that discuss fees, past results, lawyer credentials or direct contact. Those topics deserve a close look because a short claim can leave out facts a reader needs. Give the reviewer the page as a reader will see it.

Example: A firm adds a new service page. A lawyer checks the service description, the contact details and the source for the legal answer. The team then saves the approved version and names an owner for future changes.

Keep the review useful and specific. Ask what the page says, what supports it, and what a reader could take from it. Note open questions and send them to the right person. If a claim needs a limit, put that limit near the claim so a reader can see the connection.

After a change in staff, services or rules, revisit the affected pages. The person who owns a page should know how to request a correction. That small step can keep an old claim from being repeated across new material.

A review can also catch claims that were sound when written but have since become stale. Compare the page with the services the firm offers now. Give a lawyer the full page, including the headline, example and invitation to contact the firm.

Clear answers and sound support help readers get a fair picture of your firm. The rule for claims about legal services is ABA Model Rule 7.1.