The ideas below answer a client's question at the moment they have it, and every one of them runs under the rule that a lawyer's communications must not be misleading or create unjustified expectations about results. Being found, being trusted and being referred are the three jobs; the twelve ideas are sorted by which job they do.
This guide is part of our professional services series. The site the ideas point to is covered in law firm website design; what they cost in law firm marketing budget; the intake step that decides whether they pay in lead generation for professional services.
The rules first
US state bars adopt rules based on the ABA Model Rules 7.1 to 7.3: communications about a lawyer's services must not be false or misleading; advertising is permitted within limits; direct solicitation of people who have not asked to be contacted is restricted, with exceptions for other lawyers and people with a prior relationship. Texas's Rule 7.01 shows the standard in detail: a communication is misleading if it contains a material misrepresentation, omits a fact that makes the whole misleading, is substantially likely to create unjustified expectations about results, or makes a comparison with other lawyers that cannot be substantiated; a lawyer may claim credit for a prior result only with a substantial role; an advertised verdict later reduced must be shown with the amount received. Texas's Rule 7.04 requires most advertisements to be filed with the State Bar within ten days of dissemination. In Canada the provincial law societies' marketing rules apply: Ontario's Rule 4.2-1 allows marketing only if it is demonstrably true, accurate and verifiable, not misleading and consistent with a high standard of professionalism, and its commentary names past-results claims without a disclaimer, claims of superiority, raised expectations and testimonials with emotional appeals as marketing that may contravene the rule. Every idea below is run under those rules, and this guide is not legal advice.
Being found: ideas 1 to 4
The ideas that put the firm in front of a client who is looking:
- 1. A complete Google Business Profile. Google's local ranking help says local results are ranked on relevance, distance and prominence, that complete and accurate information helps, that replying to reviews shows you value clients, and that there is no way to pay for a better position. Fill in the practice areas, hours, a real address per office and photographs of the real people. Our local SEO service does this work.
- 2. Reviews asked for and answered, within two sets of rules. Ask clients at the end of a matter; reply to every review without revealing anything confidential; disclose any incentive clearly, as the FTC's Endorsement Guides require; and never let a review page imply a promised outcome.
- 3. A practice-area page per client problem, written in the client's words rather than the court's, with how the firm handles it and how to start. These pages are what local and organic search return.
- 4. Paid search, sized carefully. Legal is the dearest category in paid search, as our guide to law firm marketing budget guide shows; run it on the practice-area terms where the margin supports it, land it on the practice-area page, and file the ads where your state requires.
Being trusted: ideas 5 to 8
The ideas that make a client who has found you choose you:
- 5. Plain-language articles that answer the question before the call. "What happens at a first family-law consultation", "How long does probate take in [state]", each with a not-legal-advice line and no promise. Content Marketing Institute's 2027 B2B research (861 B2B marketers reported) puts useful, practical information first among trust builders at 64% and demonstrated expertise second at 59%. Our content marketing service writes these for the responsible lawyer's review.
- 6. Lawyer pages that show a real person: photograph, admissions, the matters handled, and a direct way to reach that lawyer. The most-read pages after the home page.
- 7. Talks, webinars and local media. A short talk to a community group, a webinar for a trade association, a quoted comment in the local paper, each positioning the lawyer as the one who explains things plainly, and each a communication under the rules.
- 8. A results or experience page written to the rules. Experience described, outcomes only where your rule allows and with the required context, credit only with a substantial role, reduced verdicts shown with the amount received. Our guide to law firm website design guide covers the page.
Being referred: ideas 9 to 12
The ideas that bring clients who were sent, who sign faster and complain less:
- 9. Referral relationships with other lawyers who do not practise your area, and with the professionals who meet your clients first (accountants, real estate agents, financial advisers, doctors in injury practices), kept warm with useful information rather than lunches alone. Referral fees between lawyers follow your rule.
- 10. LinkedIn for business practice areas. For employment, corporate, intellectual property and similar practices, a lawyer's own posts explaining a change in the law reach the committee that hires outside counsel; LinkedIn's targeting by job title, company, industry and seniority does the same for paid reach. Our social media service runs the program within the rules.
- 11. A consent-based email to past clients and inquirers. One useful email a quarter on a change in the law or a seasonal reminder keeps the firm in mind for the next matter and the next referral. In the USA the FTC's CAN-SPAM guide requires a postal address and an opt-out honoured within 10 business days, with penalties up to $53,088 per email; in Canada, CASL implies consent for six months after an inquiry and requires express consent beyond that. Mind that email to prospective clients who have not asked may fall under your rule on solicitation.
- 12. Community presence. Sponsoring the local clinic, sitting on the chamber's board, the free legal information evening at the library: the oldest idea in the profession, and still where many of the most valued clients come from.
What not to do, under the rules
Six things the ideas above never include:
- Promise or imply an outcome. "We win" and "results assured" are the clearest breaches of the unjustified-expectations rule.
- Compare without proof. "The most experienced firm in the city" needs substantiation you probably do not have.
- Claim results you did not substantially earn, or show a verdict without the amount the client received.
- Solicit people in trouble directly. Approaching accident victims or the recently charged is restricted or prohibited under solicitation rules; let them find you.
- Skip filing or review. Where your state requires filing, it applies to the digital campaign too.
- Pay for reviews without disclosure, or write them yourself.
Putting the ideas in order
Start with being found: the profile, the reviews process and the practice-area pages, because a client who cannot find you cannot choose you. Then being trusted: the lawyer pages and the first plain-language articles. Then being referred: the quarterly email to past clients and the referral relationships. Paid search comes last, sized to fill the gap after the cheaper ideas are working. The table below sets the twelve ideas against the job each does, the rule each must respect and the measure for each; our guide to lead generation for professional services guide covers the intake step that turns the inquiries into clients.
Conclusion
Attorney marketing ideas work when they answer a client's question at the moment they have it and run inside the rules: found through a complete profile, reviews and plain practice pages; trusted through real lawyer pages, useful articles, talks and a results page written to the rule; referred through other professionals, LinkedIn for business practices, a consent-based email and community presence. Nothing misleading, no unjustified expectations, no direct solicitation of people who have not asked, filing where required.
PromotEdge International is an international strategy, technology, marketing and design company, and our delivery team is in India. Our professional services marketing, content marketing service and social media teams run these ideas for law firms and draft every piece for the responsible lawyer's review. This guide is not legal advice.
Facts we rely on: see our company facts for what we state about ourselves and where each fact comes from.