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Miami lawyer website: what it must say and what it can't
According to the official Florida Bar checklist, your own website is not filed with the Bar for review (unless posts or videos are sponsored or promoted), but it must follow Rules 4-7.12 through 4-7.17 and 4-7.21. It must show the name of a lawyer or the firm and the city, town or county of at least one bona fide office, legibly. If the page is in Spanish, the required disclosure must be in Spanish. It can't include anything that reads like a guaranty of success or specific results, and comparisons, past results and titles like "specialist" must be objectively verifiable. We are not lawyers: this is general information, not legal advice.
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What the official Florida Bar checklist says
A lawyer's own website ... are not required to be filed with The Florida Bar for review unless the posts or videos are sponsored, “boosted,” or promoted. However, they are required to comply with the substantive lawyer advertising rules in Rules 4-7.12 through 4-7.17 and 4-7.21.
In plain words: your own website is not filed with the Bar for review (unless posts or videos are sponsored or promoted), but it still has to follow the rules.
Does the advertisement fail to contain the name of at least one lawyer, the law firm or qualifying provider ... Is the name illegible or inconspicuous? ... Does the advertisement fail to disclose the city, town or county of at least one bona fide office location of the advertising lawyer?
In plain words: the name of a lawyer or the firm, and the city, town or county of at least one real office. Both must be legible.
If the advertisement appears in a language other than English, does the disclosure fail to appear in that language? Rule 4-7.12(c)
In plain words: if your page is in Spanish, the required disclosure must be in Spanish. With two languages, in both.
Does the advertisement contain any information that can reasonably be interpreted as a prediction or guaranty of success or specific results? ... references to past results that are not objectively verifiable ...
In plain words: nothing that reads like a guarantee of success or results, and past results only if verifiable and not misleading.
... statements that compare or characterize the lawyer or law firm's skills, experience, reputation, or record that are not objectively verifiable?
In plain words: "best lawyer" and similar phrases need to be objectively verifiable.
... testimonials or endorsements ... that is not the actual experience of the person, that the person has received something of value for giving ... that the lawyer has written or drafted, or that does not include a disclaimer that prospective clients may not receive the same or similar results?
In plain words: real, unpaid, not written by the lawyer, with the notice that other clients may not get the same results, in the testimonial's language.
Only lawyers who are board certified in a particular area of the law can claim to be certified or board certified ... A law firm cannot claim certification. ... A lawyer may claim specialization, expertise, or other variations of those terms only if the lawyer can objectively verify the claim ...
In plain words: only a lawyer certified in that area can say so, and a firm can't. "Specialist" or "expert" only if verifiable.
What yes, what no, and what we can't say
Name + office
Name of a lawyer or the firm and city, town or county of a real office, legible.
Same language
If the page is in Spanish, the required disclosure goes in Spanish. With two languages, in both.
No guarantees
Nothing that reads like a guaranty of success or specific results.
Everything verifiable
"The best", past results and "specialist" must be objectively verifiable.
Checklist to review your website
Do your name and office show?
Name of a lawyer or the firm and city, town or county of a real office. Our idea (not a rule): at the top and in the footer.
Are disclosures in the page's language?
If you have a Spanish version, check that the required disclosures are in Spanish too.
Any guarantees or promises?
Remove anything that reads like a guaranty of success or specific results.
Can you verify every comparison?
"Best lawyer" and similar phrases, and past results, must be verifiable and not misleading.
Do your testimonials meet the conditions?
Real, unpaid, not written by you, with the notice that other clients may not get the same results, in the testimonial's language.
Do you say "certified" or "specialist"?
Certified only with certification in that area (naming the certifying organization); a firm can't. Specialist or expert only if verifiable.
Summary
- Name and office visible
- Disclosures in the same language
- No guarantees
- Everything verifiable
- Testimonials with conditions
We check your website against these rules
Send us the link and we go through the Florida Bar checklist points. Free.
- We check name, office and disclosure language
- We flag guarantees and unproven claims
- Free, no strings attached
Frequently asked questions
Does my website need Florida Bar approval?
It is not filed with the Bar for review by default (unless posts or videos are sponsored or promoted), but it must follow Rules 4-7.12 through 4-7.17 and 4-7.21.
What must my Spanish page say in Spanish?
If the ad appears in a language other than English, the required disclosure must appear in that language. With several languages, in each one.
Can I post testimonials?
Only with conditions: real, nothing of value given to the person, not written by the lawyer, and with the notice that other clients may not get the same results.
Can I say "best lawyer"?
Not unless it can be proven. Statements that compare or describe your skills, experience or reputation must be objectively verifiable.
Official sources
We are not lawyers. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the current rules and your situation with The Florida Bar. The firm in the examples is fictional (EXAMPLE).
