Most people who need a lawyer have never hired one before. They do not know what a good firm looks like from the outside, so they look at the one thing that seems fair: what other clients said. That makes Google reviews for law firms one of the first things a new client reads, often before your own website. There is more in our post on law firm contact form. We have a separate post on local SEO for law firms.
Yet plenty of good firms have a handful of reviews, all from years ago. Not because clients were unhappy, but because nobody ever asked them. This post covers when to ask, how to ask, how to reply, and where the reviews should live once you have them.
Why reviews matter more for a firm than for most businesses
Reviews do two jobs at once. They help decide whether your firm shows up on the map when someone searches for a family lawyer or an estate planning attorney nearby. And they help the reader decide whether to get in touch once they find you.
The second job is the bigger one for a law firm. A person with a legal problem is usually stressed and wary of being overcharged or ignored. A few recent reviews that mention being kept informed, or being treated with patience, answer the fear they actually have. A star rating alone cannot do that. We have a separate post on law firm website design.
Check your own rules before you start
Lawyers work under rules most businesses do not. State bars have their own views on client testimonials, advertising and what counts as a fair request. We are a website and SEO company, not a law firm, so treat this post as practical advice on the asking, and check the rules in your state before you change anything.
Google has rules of its own too, and they apply to every business. In plain terms:
- Do not offer anything in return for a review, not a discount and not a gift card.
- Do not ask only the clients you expect to be happy. Asking everyone the same way is the safe habit.
- Do not write reviews for the firm yourself, or ask staff and family to.
- Do not ask clients to post a review from the office computer or the firm's wifi.
When to ask a client for a review
Timing is most of it. Ask too early and the client has nothing to say yet. Ask months after the file closed and the moment has passed.
The right time is usually the point where the client feels relief. A signed estate plan, a settled matter, a closing that went through, a hearing that went the way you said it might. Not every matter ends well, and that is fine. Ask when the work is done and the client has said thank you in their own words. That thank you is your cue.
Some practice areas need more care than others. A client going through a divorce or a criminal matter may not want their name on a public page at all, and that is their call. Ask in a way that makes saying no easy.
How to ask so people actually do it
Clients rarely refuse. They forget, or they cannot find where to click. So make the ask short and the path even shorter.
- Ask in person first. A sentence from the attorney who handled the matter carries more weight than any email.
- Follow up the same day with a short email or text holding your direct review link from your Google Business Profile.
- Keep the message to three lines. Thank them, say a review helps others find the firm, give the link.
- Remind once, then stop. One gentle nudge a week later is plenty.
Clients often search for how to write a review for a lawyer, because they are not sure what to say. You can help without putting words in their mouth. A line such as "It helps others if you mention what kind of matter it was and what working with us was like" is enough. Never write the review for them.
Want more inquiries from your website?
We'll look at your website and rankings and tell you plainly what we would fix first. No charge and no sales pitch.
How to reply without saying too much
Replying to reviews shows the next reader that someone at the firm is paying attention. For a lawyer it also carries a risk most businesses do not have: saying something about the client in public.
Keep every reply short and general, and never confirm that the reviewer was a client. For a kind review, a simple thank you and a line about the firm's values is enough. For an unhappy one, stay calm, do not argue the facts, and invite them to call the office. Anything about the matter itself stays off the page, and your bar's guidance on this is worth reading before you write the first reply.
Where reviews belong on the firm website
Reviews should not live only on Google. The reader who lands on your probate page wants to see what probate clients said, right there, without leaving the page.
- Two or three short reviews on each practice area page, matched to that type of matter where you can.
- A review or two on each attorney bio page, since many people arrive by name.
- A short line near the contact form, where the last bit of doubt sits.
- The star rating and review count near the top of the home page, kept up to date.
Whatever your state allows on testimonials and disclaimers applies here too. Put any required wording in plain, readable text next to the reviews, not tucked in the footer.
Reviews are one piece of how a firm gets found
A firm with great reviews and a weak website still loses people at the last step. A strong site with no reviews looks untested. The website is the base, and reviews, rankings and the map all lean on it. That is why we work on the pieces together.
- Website design and development first, with a real page for each practice area and reviews where the reading ends.
- SEO so those pages come up for the problem a client is searching for.
- Local SEO, including the Google Business Profile your reviews sit on, so the firm shows on the map. Our local SEO service page explains how that works.
- Conversion rate optimization so more visitors who read those reviews go on to send an inquiry.
Around them sit AI search optimization, since assistants now read reviews when someone asks which firm to call, and a care plan that keeps the review sections on the site current.
Where to start this week
Find your direct review link in your Google Business Profile and save it where every attorney can reach it. Agree on the three-line message. Then ask every client whose matter closes this month, the same way, and reply to each review within a few days.
If you want to know how your firm looks to someone searching right now, website and map together, ask us for a free website and SEO review.
Want more inquiries from your website?
We'll look at your website and rankings and tell you plainly what we would fix first. No charge and no sales pitch.
