Law firm advertising online: what you can and cannot say

Which rules apply

Advertising by lawyers is allowed, within limits. In Spain the main reference is article 20 of the General Statute of the Spanish Legal Profession (Royal Decree 135/2021), together with the Code of Conduct and each bar association’s rules. Other countries have equivalents: in Germany, for example, § 43b BRAO and §§ 6 ff. BORA.

Like any business, a law firm must also comply with general rules: misleading advertising and unfair competition, data protection (GDPR) and the rules on websites and commercial communications.

The general principle is that advertising must respect the independence, freedom, dignity and integrity of the profession, and professional secrecy. Everything else follows from that.

Official text (Spanish): Royal Decree 135/2021, General Statute of the Spanish Legal Profession (BOE).

What the rules expressly prohibit

Under article 20.2 of the Spanish Statute, a lawyer’s advertising must not:

• reveal, directly or indirectly, facts or information covered by professional secrecy;
• encourage litigation or conflict, generally or specifically;
• offer services to victims of accidents, disasters or other events with multiple victims, or to their heirs, within 45 days of the event, unless they ask;
• promise results that do not depend solely on the lawyer’s work;
• refer to clients without their permission;
• use bar or institutional emblems or symbols, or others that could be confused with them;
• mention activities incompatible with practising law.

These rules were written before the internet, but they apply just the same to a services page, a LinkedIn post or a Google ad.

What you can (and should) say

The prohibitions are specific. Outside them there is plenty of room for a useful, persuasive website:

• the areas you work in and the problems you solve, explained clearly;
• how you work: first consultation, typical timescales, how you keep clients informed;
• fees or fee ranges, if you want to publish them;
• your qualifications, experience, publications, talks and teaching;
• your team, with real photos and profiles;
• articles and guides that explain the law to potential clients.

A website doesn’t have to be bland to comply. What it must avoid is exaggerating, promising or disclosing.

Cases, clients and professional secrecy

This is where most websites go wrong. Success stories sell, but they clash with professional secrecy and with the ban on naming clients without permission.

• Client logos and names: only with their express permission, preferably in writing.
• “Anonymised” cases: removing the name isn’t enough if the matter can be recognised by date, place, amount or press coverage.
• Judgments: a published judgment is not a licence to use it in advertising while identifying the client or the facts.
• Social media: commenting on an ongoing matter, even indirectly, is advertising too, and is also subject to secrecy.

What works instead: describe types of matters (“unfair mortgage clauses”, “estates with assets in several countries”) and how you handle them, without details that could identify anyone.

Results, percentages and guarantees

“We win 95% of our cases”, “guaranteed recovery” or “no win, no fee… and we always win” clash with the ban on promising results that don’t depend solely on the lawyer. A judgment depends on the judge, the evidence and the other side.

A success rate without explaining how it is calculated can also be misleading advertising: simply turning down difficult cases pushes the figure up.

You can talk about experience (“more than 300 employment cases”) if it is true and verifiable, and about how you assess each case before you start. That builds more trust than a guarantee nobody believes.

“Specialist”, “expert” and “leading”

Article 20.3 requires any claim of specialisation to be backed by academic or professional qualifications, approved specialist courses or professional practice that supports it. It isn’t a decorative word.

Be careful with superlatives too (“the best law firm in Palma”, “leaders in banking law”): if you can’t prove them, they are misleading and also clash with professional dignity. Paid badges and rankings are no guarantee either: if you use them, they must be genuine and not misleading.

Ads, reviews and attracting clients

• Google and social media ads: advertising a practice area (“road traffic accident lawyer”) is normal. What isn’t allowed is a campaign targeting those affected by a specific event within 45 days, or messages that encourage litigation (“sue your neighbour!”).
• Reviews: asking satisfied clients to leave a Google review is fine. Making them up, buying them or writing them yourself is not, and consumer law expressly prohibits it. When replying to reviews, don’t reveal details of the matter, even if the client has.
• Testimonials on the website: they refer to a client, so they need permission and must not disclose details of the case.
• Email and messages: sending marketing emails without prior consent is prohibited, except to existing clients about similar services.

The information your website must include

Beyond what you can’t say, there is information you must provide. In Spain, the website of a regulated professional must identify its owner (name or company name, tax ID, address, contact details) and state the bar association, membership number, professional title and applicable professional rules, and where to consult them.

Add a privacy policy that reflects what you do with contact form data and a cookie policy that matches the cookies the site really uses. In common law firm website mistakes I explain why a legal notice copied from another site is a bad start.

Quick check of your website

Go through your website, profiles and ads with these questions:

• Does any client, logo or recognisable case appear without written permission?
• Are there success rates, guarantees or promised results?
• Do you say “specialist” or “expert” about something you can’t back up?
• Do you use superlatives (“the best”, “leading”) you can’t prove?
• Is there any emblem that could be confused with the bar’s or an institution’s?
• Does the legal notice include the bar association, membership number and professional rules?
• Are reviews and testimonials genuine, without disclosing details of the matter?

For everything else a good law firm website needs, see the guide what a law firm website needs.

This guide is for information only and is not advice on your professional rules. If in doubt, check with your bar association.

Frequently asked questions about law firm advertising