Lawyer social media ethics starts from one point: the rules that govern a firm's ads govern its posts, replies, direct messages and handles, and the state version controls.

It is the social branch of attorney advertising rules, the parent guide to Rules 7.1 through 7.3; the channel strategy lives in law firm social media marketing.

The attorney social media rules that apply

Permission: ABA Model Rule 7.2(a) says a lawyer may communicate information about the lawyer's services through any media, the 2018 substitute for the old list of named media.

Content: Model Rule 7.1 prohibits false or misleading communications about a lawyer or the lawyer's services; its first comment says the rule governs all communications about a lawyer's services.

Confidentiality: ABA Formal Opinion 480 (March 6, 2018) says lawyers who blog, post, podcast or otherwise comment publicly may not reveal information relating to a representation, including public-record information, unless a Model Rule authorizes it.

Names: the comments let a firm use a trade name or social media username if it is not misleading, barring names that imply a government agency, a public legal-aid group or a lawyer outside the firm.

Model Rules bind no one until a state adopts them: Florida's Rule 4-7.11 (text as of October 1, 2026) applies its advertising subchapter to every electronic medium, including social networking, and any lawyer targeting Florida residents, whether or not admitted in Florida.

Can lawyers advertise on social media?

Rule 7.2(a) is the permission, 7.2(d) the tag: every communication under the rule carries the name and contact information of at least one responsible lawyer or firm.

The 2018 report accompanying the rewrite deleted the comments justifying advertising, calling it "constitutionally protected speech" that "needs no additional justification".

Filing in Florida: the firm's website is exempt (Rule 4-7.20(g)) and, per the Bar's Standing Committee guidelines, its own Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn pages are not filed either, but paid banners or ads on social or video sites are advertisements and no exemption lifts the content rules (text as of October 1, 2026).

Filing in Texas: Rule 7.05(g), effective July 1, 2021, exempts posts that do not expressly offer legal services and are mainly informational, educational, political, artistic or entertainment, or mainly resume-type information, if they comply with Rules 7.01 to 7.03.

The lawyer social media ethics opinions

Three ABA formal opinions do the social-specific work; all three are advisory and bind no state.

Formal Opinion 480 (Mar 6, 2018)

Public commentary may not reveal information relating to a representation, even facts in a public record; the opinion covers blogs, listservs, microblogs and podcasts.

Formal Opinion 496 (Jan 13, 2021)

A negative review alone does not permit disclosing client information in self-defense; the opinion suggests considering not responding, and treats inviting private contact or citing professional considerations as permissible replies.

Formal Opinion 501 (Apr 13, 2022)

A lawyer who paid a lead generator that phoned people found in online accident-survivor chat rooms, and kept accepting the clients, violated Rules 5.3(b) and 5.3(c) by failing to train the vendor and ratifying its solicitation.

Solicitation in DMs, replies and comments

Model Rule 7.3(a) defines solicitation as a communication initiated by or for a lawyer, directed to a specific person the lawyer knows or should know needs legal services in a particular matter, and offering to provide those services.

The comments sort the social cases:

  • Not solicitation: communications to the general public, responses to a request for information, and automatic responses to electronic searches.
  • Outside the live-contact ban: texts and chat, written communications recipients can easily disregard; TCPA consent and state rules still apply.
  • Barred by Rule 7.3(c): contacting anyone who said stop, coercion, duress or harassment; Comment [6] says live contact with especially vulnerable people is ordinarily not appropriate.

California's Rule 7.3 (rules effective November 1, 2018) bars soliciting by in-person, live telephone or real-time electronic contact when pecuniary gain is a significant motive, outside the relationship exceptions, and requires "Advertisement" or similar words at the beginning and end of targeted electronic messages.

Florida's Rule 4-7.18, as of October 1, 2026, bars in-person, telephone and real-time video solicitation of people with no family or prior professional relationship when pecuniary gain is a significant motive, and written solicitation about an injury, wrongful death, accident or disaster until more than 30 days after the event, counted to the mailing; the Bar's handbook requires "Advertisement" as the first word of targeted social media and text messages.

ABA Rule 7.3 has the rule-by-rule treatment.

A post to the general public

  • The Rule 7.1 standard and 7.2(d) attribution still apply.
  • Not a solicitation under the Model Rule comments, and outside the targeted-solicitation marking rules.

A message aimed at one person

  • Model Rule 7.3(b) bars live person-to-person contact for pecuniary gain, outside its exceptions; California's Rule 7.3(a) also reaches real-time electronic contact.
  • Marking rules attach in California and Florida; Rule 7.3(c) protects anyone who said stop.

Testimonials, reviews and bought followers

Model Rule 7.1 has no testimonial ban; conditions come from state text and the FTC, and the detail is in lawyer testimonial rules.

Florida's Rule 4-7.13(b)(9), as of October 1, 2026, treats a testimonial as deceptive on six grounds, among them an account that is not the person's actual experience, copy the lawyer wrote, something of value given for it, and a missing same-or-similar-results disclaimer.

California's Comment [4] to Rule 7.1 says truthful results reports and testimonials may mislead if they lead a reasonable person to expect the same result regardless of the facts, and an appropriate disclaimer "often avoids" that.

16 CFR Part 465, in force since October 21, 2024, reaches law firms as businesses and carries civil penalties for knowing violations.

Its 465.8 bars buying or selling fake indicators of social media influence, such as followers, likes or views, when the buyer knew or should have known they were fake and they misrepresent influence for a commercial purpose.

The Endorsement Guides (revised July 2023) add that advertisers should not procure, suppress, boost or edit reviews in ways that distort what consumers think.

What to check before the next post

  • The responsible lawyer or firm is named with contact information (Rule 7.2(d)).
  • Nothing from a representation appears, public-record or not, unless a rule authorizes it (Formal Opinion 480).
  • No bought followers, likes or reviews (16 CFR 465.8); any testimonial meets your state's conditions.
  • Anyone who said stop stays off the outreach list (Rule 7.3(c)).

More Booked Cases runs CRO and local SEO and manages Meta ads for law firms; it does not review posts against bar rules, staff intake or manage Google Ads.

How a specific post, handle or reply is treated under your state's rules is a question for your state bar's ethics counsel or an ethics lawyer.

Frequently asked questions

Can lawyers advertise on social media?

ABA Model Rule 7.2(a) says a lawyer may communicate information about the lawyer's services through any media, subject to Rule 7.1, Rule 7.3 and state filing rules. Model Rules bind no one until a state adopts them, so your state's version controls.

Which ABA ethics opinions cover lawyer social media?

Three carry most of it: Formal Opinion 480 (March 6, 2018) on confidentiality in blogs and public commentary, Formal Opinion 496 (January 13, 2021) on responding to online criticism, and Formal Opinion 501 (April 13, 2022) on solicitation, including a lead vendor working online chat rooms. All three are advisory and bind no state.

Can a lawyer post about a client's case on social media?

ABA Formal Opinion 480 (March 6, 2018) says lawyers who post publicly may not reveal information relating to a representation, including information in a public record, unless a Model Rule authorizes it. Your state's confidentiality and advertising rules control.

Which social media posts have to be filed with a state bar?

It depends on the state. Florida exempts a firm's own website and social media pages from filing but treats paid banners or ads on social sites as advertisements, and Texas exempts posts that do not expressly offer legal services and are mainly informational, educational, political, artistic or entertainment.

Is replying to someone who asks about your services solicitation?

The Model Rule comments say a communication that responds to a request for information is not a solicitation, while outreach a lawyer initiates to a specific person the lawyer knows or should know needs legal services can meet the Rule 7.3(a) definition. State rules can be broader, so check your own state's version.