Law Firm Testimonials: How to Collect, Use and Stay Within the Rules

When someone has been hurt and is choosing a lawyer, they want to know what it is like to be your client. A testimonial answers that question in a former client's own words. Done well, testimonials make a firm feel trustworthy and approachable. Done carelessly, they can break the bar's advertising rules or a client's confidence. This guide covers how to ask for testimonials, which formats work, where to use them and the rules that apply.

Testimonials and reviews are not the same thing

A review is something a client posts on a platform such as your Google Business Profile, in their own time and their own words. A testimonial is a client's statement that your firm chooses to feature, on your website, in a video or in an ad. Reviews are covered in the guide to law firm reputation management. This guide is about testimonials, which become part of your advertising once you use them.

What makes a testimonial useful

• It talks about the experience, not the payout. How quickly the firm called back, how clearly things were explained, how the client felt looked after. That is what a nervous prospective client wants to know, and it is safer under the rules than a statement about money.
• It is specific. "They returned my calls the same day and explained every step" is more convincing than "Great firm."
• It sounds like a real person. Light editing for length is fine. Rewriting it into marketing language is not, and readers can tell.
• It is attributed. A first name and last initial, or a full name with permission, is more credible than an anonymous quote.

How to ask for a testimonial

1. Pick the right moment. Shortly after a case resolves, when the client is relieved and grateful, and never while their case is still open and they may feel they cannot say no.
2. Make it easy. Ask a few simple questions: what worried them before they called, what the firm did that helped and what they would tell a friend in the same situation.
3. Get written permission. Explain exactly where the testimonial will appear, whether their name or face will be shown and that they can say no. Keep the signed consent on file.
4. Offer nothing in return. No gift cards, discounts or favors. Paying for a testimonial creates both ethics and credibility problems.

Written or video?

Written testimonials are simple to collect and easy to place next to a contact form or practice area page. Video testimonials take more effort, but seeing and hearing a real former client is far more persuasive than reading a quote. Keep videos short, record in a quiet room with good light and let the client speak naturally rather than reading a script. Add captions so the video works with the sound off. The guide to YouTube for lawyers covers recording and hosting video, and the same footage can be cut into short clips for social media.

Where to use testimonials

• Practice area pages. A testimonial from a car accident client belongs on the car accident page, where the reader is facing the same kind of problem.
• Next to your contact form. A short quote about how easy the firm was to reach can be the final nudge to submit. The guide to law firm landing pages covers where trust signals belong.
• A dedicated testimonials page. Useful as a library, though most visitors will see testimonials on the pages they are already reading.
• Email and print. A short quote in a newsletter or brochure. See the guide to law firm email marketing.
• Ads. Testimonials can strengthen ads, but this is where the advertising rules apply most strictly, so review each one before it runs.

Stay within the ethics rules

A testimonial your firm publishes is lawyer advertising. Rules based on ABA Model Rule 7.1 prohibit false or misleading communications, and a testimonial about a large result can mislead if it suggests other clients will get the same outcome. Rules based on Model Rule 7.2 restrict giving anything of value to someone for recommending your services, which is one reason not to reward clients for testimonials. Confidentiality duties based on Model Rule 1.6 mean you need the client's informed consent before revealing that they were a client or anything about their case.

State rules go further and vary widely. Some states require a disclaimer that results depend on the facts of each case, some restrict testimonials that mention results or dollar amounts, some prohibit dramatizations or actors without a disclosure and some require ads to be filed with the bar. Federal rules on endorsements and fake reviews also apply. Check your state bar's guidance before publishing, and see the guide to lawyer advertising for more detail.

Common mistakes

• Featuring settlement amounts without checking your state's rules on past results.
• Using a testimonial without written permission, or beyond what the client agreed to.
• Rewriting a client's words until they no longer sound like the client.
• Asking while the case is still open.
• Rewarding clients for testimonials.
• Using actors or stock photos without the disclosure your state requires.
• Hiding every testimonial on one page that few visitors ever open.

The short version

Testimonials let former clients tell prospective clients what it is like to work with your firm. Ask at the right moment, keep the focus on the experience rather than the result, get written permission, offer nothing in return and place each testimonial where a reader with the same problem will see it. Treat every published testimonial as advertising and check your state's rules first.