Asking for and Answering Client Reviews at a Criminal Defense Firm

Most criminal defense clients would rather nobody knew they had needed you. That one fact shapes how a defense firm handles reviews. The people best placed to describe your work are often the least willing to put their name next to it, and some of the people who post without being asked are upset about an outcome no lawyer could have changed.

Reviews still count. A parent comparing three firms late at night will read them in Google Maps before calling anyone. The job is to collect reviews at a point that respects the client, within Google's rules and your bar's rules, and to answer the bad ones without saying a word about anyone's matter.

Why a defense review is a bigger ask

A dentist can ask every patient for a review on the way out. A defense lawyer is asking someone to attach their real account name, in public, to the fact that they were charged with a crime. Some clients will be glad to help. Plenty will not, and the request should make declining feel normal.

A slow, steady flow of reviews over several years is a healthy result for a defense practice. A firm that expects the volume of a pizza shop will be tempted toward shortcuts that break the rules below. Reviews are one input among many in local search, and the wider picture is covered in these notes on criminal defense SEO and legal marketing.

Picking the moment in the case

Timing matters more in criminal work than in almost any other practice area. While a case is open, the client is under pressure, and anything they post about it is a public statement by a person with a pending charge. A review that mentions the judge, a plea offer or what the police found is the last thing you want to have prompted.

Wait until the matter is closed. Good windows usually look like this:

• The case has been dismissed, the client has been acquitted, or the sentence has been entered and the client has the paperwork.
• The closing letter goes out, with the review request as one short line near the end.

Take care with sealing and expungement clients, who may not want a public review that recalls the old case. Never ask at the first consultation or while a plea decision is pending, because a client in that position can reasonably wonder whether saying no will affect their defense.

When you do ask, use the same message for every closed matter and include a direct link to your Business Profile review form. Some firms add a plain note that the review will be public under the client's account name and can leave out any case details. A firm's reputation in a town grows one person at a time, which is the idea behind this piece on what touring musicians teach defense firms about local reputation.

What Google's review policies forbid

Google's policy for user contributed content on Maps lists several practices that apply directly to law firms. Google removes reviews that break these rules:

• Reviews posted because the business offered an incentive, such as a payment, a discount or free services.
• Reviews from people with a conflict of interest, which Google says can include current or former employment or a contractual or consulting relationship. Your associates, paralegals, contract lawyers and marketing vendors should not review the firm.
• Selectively asking happy clients for reviews, or discouraging or prohibiting negative ones.
• Coercing or pressuring someone into a particular rating.

A common setup falls foul of the selective solicitation rule. A survey that sends satisfied clients to Google and routes unhappy ones to a private feedback form is screening for positive reviews, which is the practice the policy names.

Where the bar rules come in

ABA Model Rule 7.2(b) generally bars a lawyer from giving anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer's services, and states read that rule against reviews differently. New York's state bar ethics committee concluded in 2015 that a small bill credit for rating a lawyer online could be acceptable if it did not depend on the rating being favorable. Ohio's Board of Professional Conduct said in 2023 that a lawyer may not pay a nonlawyer staff member a bonus based solely on a positive online review. For a Google review the practical answer is simpler: Google removes incentivized reviews, so offer nothing.

A review reposted on your own website becomes part of your advertising, and some states attach disclaimer requirements to testimonials. Many firms also ask the client's permission before quoting them by name. Check your state bar's advertising rules before building a testimonials page.

Answering a negative review under ABA Formal Opinion 496

The ABA issued Formal Opinion 496 in January 2021 to address lawyers responding to online criticism. Its central point is that Model Rule 1.6(a) still governs. A lawyer may not reveal information relating to a representation in a reply, however unfair the review feels. The opinion also concluded that the self-defense exception in Rule 1.6(b)(5) does not cover a public reply to an online review.

That leaves a short list of safe moves. The opinion suggests giving serious thought to not responding at all. You can invite the reviewer to call the office. You can post a brief reply such as: "Our professional obligations do not allow us to discuss client matters in a public forum. If you would like to talk, please call our office." You can also ask the platform to remove a review you believe is false, as long as the request itself does not disclose confidential information.

What you cannot do is correct the record. Do not mention the charge, the outcome, the fee, or anything the client told you. Even a general denial can reveal that the person was a client. If the reviewer was never a client at all, such as a complainant in a client's case, report the review to Google as content that does not reflect a genuine experience, and keep any public reply just as bare. Your state may have its own ethics opinions on this as well.

Questions about client reviews at a defense firm

Can we ask every closed client for a Google review?

Yes. Google's policy targets selective asking and pressure, so one uniform request to every closed matter fits. Confirm your state bar adds no limits.

May we send a gift card to clients who leave a review?

No. Google removes reviews posted because of an incentive from the business, and a thank-you gift that clients come to expect works as one.

Should we reply to positive reviews?

A short thank-you is fine. Keep it generic, because a reply like "glad we could help with your DUI" confirms details of the representation even if the client mentioned them first.

SBD Marketing works only with criminal defense law firms, and with one firm per city. It helps defense firms with website design, SEO for the charges they defend, visibility in AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Gemini, and SEO audits.