Can Lawyers Use Testimonials? The Advertising Rules

Can lawyers use testimonials? ABA Model Rule 7.1 contains no testimonial ban: it prohibits false or misleading communications about a lawyer or the lawyer's services, and client praise is judged against that standard like any other claim.

This page is one branch of attorney advertising rules, the parent guide to Rules 7.1 through 7.3.

What the ABA Model Rules say about testimonials

ABA Model Rule 7.1 prohibits any false or misleading communication about a lawyer or the lawyer's services, including a statement that omits a fact needed to keep it from being materially misleading; its first comment says the rule governs all communications about a lawyer's services, including advertising.

The Model Rules bind no one until a state adopts them, so the wording your state publishes controls.

ABA Formal Opinion 10-457 (Aug 5, 2010) treats lawyer website content, including client information, as subject to Rule 7.1, and says naming current or former clients requires their informed consent; disclosing client identity for promotion is "not normally impliedly authorized".

The comments are broken down in ABA Model Rule 7.1.

What state rules add on top

Per the ABA's Rule 7.1 variations chart (July 20, 2022), some states write testimonial conditions straight into their rule text; it predates several amendments, so treat it as a map, not a survey.

Arkansas's entry, last accessed in January 2020 per the chart, is the sharpest example, and no verified count of the states that restrict testimonials is available.

Four state takes on client testimonials

Florida's Rule 4-7.13(b)(9)(A)–(F), as of October 1, 2026, treats a testimonial as deceptive if any of six things is true: it covers a matter the person is unqualified to evaluate, it is not the person's actual experience, it is not typical of what the firm's clients experience, the lawyer wrote it, the person was given something of value for it, or it lacks the disclaimer that the prospective client may not obtain the same or similar results.

The rule sets no exact disclaimer wording.

New Jersey's Committee on Attorney Advertising said in Opinion 49 (September 30, 2025) that testimonials are allowed when the person is identified by full name, last name and first initial, last name only, first name only, or initials, and that testimonials mentioning the lawyer's past performance must carry the conspicuous disclaimer "Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances."

Opinion 49 also strips comparative words such as "the best" from testimonials, lets a video disclaimer appear in the video or directly above or below the link, cites RPC 7.3(d) to bar paying for endorsements, and requires a dramatization disclosure when an actor portrays a real client.

Old New York Rule 7.1(d) required "Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome" on ads containing results, comparisons or testimonials; the amendments effective June 1, 2026 eliminated it, though Comment [3] says an appropriate disclaimer "may preclude" a finding of unjustified expectations, and NYSBA's commentary says lawyers "may want to consider" keeping one.

Comment [4] to California Rule 7.1 (effective November 1, 2018) says truthful reports of results, and testimonials or endorsements, may be misleading if they lead a reasonable person to expect the same result regardless of the facts, and that an appropriate disclaimer or qualifying language "often avoids" those expectations; the text sets no exact wording.

The FTC review rule for lawyers

The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect October 21, 2024, with civil penalties available for knowing violations.

The FTC's Q&A counts law firms as businesses under the rule and says ad agencies, PR firms, review brokers and reputation-management companies can also face liability under some sections; penalty amounts adjust yearly for inflation.

The FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255, revised in 2023) say advertisers should not procure, suppress, boost or edit reviews in ways that distort what consumers think, and that a testimonial showing unrepresentative results should carry a clear disclosure of generally expected performance; the Guides are interpretive guidance, not a rule with penalties.

On gating, the FTC says the rule has no specific ban on asking only the customers you think are happy, but that the practice "could violate the FTC Act"; the Guides treat inviting all recent purchasers to review as not unfair or deceptive, "even if it had expressed its hope for positive reviews".

Google's Maps policy (as of October 2026) bans paid or incentivized reviews, conflict-of-interest reviewers and selective solicitation, and any payment for a review can raise ABA Model Rule 7.2(b) on anything of value for recommending a lawyer's services, under the version your state adopted.

How much weight a testimonial carries

In NN/g's research with service businesses (2016, qualitative), participants trusted testimonials on external sites more than the ones a company published about itself, and sites omitting basic information such as contact details were "almost immediately ruled out of consideration"; that covers service businesses generally, not law firms.

Earning reviews is covered in how to get more law firm reviews, and the trust layer in law firm website trust signals.

A checklist before a testimonial goes up

More Booked Cases tests law firm websites and landing pages and measures consultation and signed-case rates with read access to intake or CRM numbers; it does not write or vet testimonial copy.

Before a testimonial, review widget or review-request email goes live, confirm how your state's adopted rule treats it with your state bar's ethics counsel or an ethics lawyer.

Frequently asked questions