Florida Bar Rules compliance form

RESULTS compliant

YOUR WEBSITE IS PROBABLY IN COMPLIANCE

NameEnter your full name

Email AddressPlease enter your email address for the results

Website URL

Is your full legal law firm name mentioned on the home page? *YESNOYou need your full legal name - not just your logo.

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

You must state your full legal law firm name. A logo alone is not enough unless it states your full legal law firm name with INC, LLC, etc.

Do you mention the city or state in which you can practice? *YESNOIt is not enough just to say "Florida". Mention at least one city too.

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Mentioning your county or city alone is not enough. You must mention at least STATE

Do you sometimes refer cases to another law firm? *YESNO

Do mention the fact that you might refer a case to another lawyer on your home page? *YESNO

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

If you refer cases you must mention that this might happen.

Do you make predictions or guarantees of success or specific resultsYESNO

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Be careful not to exaggerate or make too many promises.

Are there comparisons or characterizations of skills, experience, reputation, or record that are not objectively verifiableYESNOIf you list skills or certificates, you must links or descriptions of each.

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

You can't compare yourself to other law firms by name.

Did you use an stock image of someone?YESNO

If yes, did you state that the people are "Not an employee or member of the firm *YESNOYou can use stock images of other people bu if they are not members of your firm or staff, you must say so.

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

It is best to avoid stock photos otherwise on each stock photo you need to mention that the person shown are NOT an employee of your law firm.

Do you have case sudies or testimonialsYESNOThes must be real.

Do you have a disclaimer that prospective clients may not obtain the same or similar results *YESNOPaid testimonials are NOT allowed

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Be careful of what you promise.

Do you mention the TITLE of one of your staff sho is or was a former judicial officer or elected official? *YESNO

TITLE NOT ALLOWED

Use of a judicial, executive, or legislative TITLE before a person’s name who is a former or retired judicial, executive, or legislative officer is forbidden

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Check your biographies for prohibited titles.

ADVERTISING

Potentially Misleading advertisements that you can’t use

Potentially misleading ads include: (1) Ads that have more than one interpretation, some of which are materially misleading
Accurate ads that may mislead a prospective client about a material matter
References to memberships, awards, and honors unless bona fide, recognized in the legal community, selection is on objective criteria
(4) Use of the terms “board certified,” “specialist” “expert” or variations of those terms unless the lawyer is certified by The Florida Bar, an organization accredited by the ABA (with a disclaimer that not certified by The Florida Bar), or another state bar with standards substantially the same as The Florida Bar
Information about fees charged unless accompanied by a disclosure of costs the client may be responsible for; lawyers who advertise specific fees must honor them for at least 90 days unless the ad itself states a shorter span, except the span for yellowpages and other annual publications may not be less than 1 year
Ads with potentially misleading information may be used if the lawyer provides sufficient clarifying information in the ad Rule 4-7.15 Unduly Manipulative or Intrusive Advertisements
Ads may not include images, sounds, videos or dramatizations designed to appeal to emotions rather than “a rational evaluation” of the lawyers qualifications
Ads may not include authority figures such as actual or judges and law enforcement or actors portraying them, to endorse the lawyer or act as a spokesperson
Celebrities may not be used, except for a local announcer who regularly records ads and does not endorse the lawyer
Lawyers may not use economic incentives to hire the lawyer or view the ad, except for a discounted fee or free legal advice

Are you in compliance with the every advertising rule?YESNO

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Advertising is heavily regulated.

Do you have paid advertising on your website NOT paid for by your firm?YESNO

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE ad.

PAID ADVERTISING

Payment for Advertisements on your website Here are the rules for paid ads on your website.

You can’t have paid ads by a lawyer who is not in the same law firm as the advertising lawyer
Ads may not be paid for by a non-lawyer- that means no Google type of paid ads from a 3rd party for example are allowed.
You can't use a free Google, SquareSpace, Weebly, Wix, or similar website as they contain ads from others that are not members of your law firm.

Do you state that the Florida Bar Association has approved your law firm?YESNOThe only thing you can say is that you are a member of the Florida Bar Association. Nothing more.

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Is your website in more than one language?YESNO

Is everything mention above mentioned in all languages? *YESNO

YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE

Is your translation accurate? Check automatic translations as they are often in error.

LAWYER WEBSITES

Florida Bar Rules Compliance Test