Social media for law firms and solicitors: what to post and what to avoid

People rarely hire a lawyer because of a single post. They hire someone they already recognise and trust, often after a referral, a search or a recommendation from a friend. Your feed should make that trust easy to build.

Choose by practice area. Commercial firms win most work through referrals and relationships, which makes LinkedIn the main channel. Firms doing family, wills, conveyancing, immigration or personal injury work serve the public, so Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile matter more. Google's guidelines name lawyers as individual practitioners who can have their own profile if they are public-facing and reachable at the verified location; at a firm with several lawyers, the firm should also have a profile for the office.

Source: Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google, checked 15 October 2026

Two to four posts a week is a realistic pace for most firms. Encourage lawyers to post from their own LinkedIn profiles too, since people follow people more readily than firms, and agree a simple sign-off process for anything about a live matter or a change in the law.

• Monday: an explainer. One question clients ask, answered in plain English.
• Tuesday: a person. A lawyer, paralegal or receptionist and what they actually do.
• Wednesday: a process post, such as the five stages of buying a house or what happens at a first meeting.
• Thursday: firm news. A hire, a qualification, a community event, a ranking you can substantiate.
• Friday or weekend: something human. A charity day, a team lunch, a local partner.

Most people meet a lawyer at a stressful moment. Content that explains what will happen, how long it takes and what it costs is more useful than content about how excellent the firm is.

Keep explainers general and say so. A post can explain what a lasting power of attorney is; it should not tell one person what to do about their situation. Point people to book a consultation rather than to the comments.

• "What happens at your first meeting" with photos of the room and the person they will see.
• Jargon busters: one legal term explained in a sentence and an example.
• Process timelines for common matters, with honest ranges rather than promises.
• Fee explainers that link to your published prices and say what is and is not included.
• Commentary on a change in the law, written by a named lawyer, with no client details.
• Recruitment posts showing trainees and support staff, not just partners.

England and Wales: the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors requires that any publicity about your practice is accurate and not misleading, including about your charges (paragraph 8.8), and that you do not make unsolicited approaches to members of the public, other than current or former clients, to advertise your services (8.9). Paragraph 6.3 requires you to keep current and former clients' affairs confidential unless the law requires or permits disclosure or the client consents. The SRA's December 2024 warning notice says firms should not make unsolicited approaches that target people individually, in person, by phone or online, that publicity must be clear, transparent and accurate, that 'no win, no fee' must be clearly explained, and that firms remain responsible for marketing done for them by third parties.

US: ABA Model Rule 7.1 bars false or misleading communications about a lawyer's services, including statements that omit a fact needed to make them not materially misleading. Rule 7.2 lets lawyers communicate through any media, bars giving anything of value for recommending your services (with listed exceptions such as paying for ads and nominal thank-you gifts), restricts claims to be a certified specialist, and requires each communication to include the name and contact information of at least one responsible lawyer or firm. Rule 7.3 restricts live person-to-person solicitation. These are model rules; your state's own version is the one that binds you.

Confidentiality covers social media too. ABA Formal Opinion 480 says lawyers who blog or comment publicly may not reveal information relating to a representation, even if it is in a public record, and that calling something a hypothetical does not help if readers could work out who the client is.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your regulator, bar or professional indemnity insurer can advise on a specific post.

• Do not post about a client, a case or a win without the client's informed consent.
• Do not send cold direct messages offering services to someone you know needs a lawyer.
• Include the responsible lawyer or firm's name and contact details on promotional posts (US).
• Check every claim about results, rankings or fees is accurate and complete before it goes out.

Sources: SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs, RFLs and RSLs, checked 15 October 2026; SRA warning notice: Marketing your services to members of the public, checked 15 October 2026; ABA Model Rule 7.1: Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services, checked 15 October 2026; ABA Model Rule 7.2: Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services, Specific Rules, checked 15 October 2026; ABA Model Rule 7.3: Solicitation of Clients, checked 15 October 2026; ABA Formal Opinion 480: Confidentiality obligations for lawyer blogging and other public commentary (PDF), checked 15 October 2026

Reviews help people choose a firm, but your reply can never breach confidentiality. Do not confirm that the reviewer was a client, and do not discuss their matter, even to correct something unfair. A short, polite reply that invites them to contact the firm directly protects both of you.

Ask every client for a review the same way at the end of a matter. Google prohibits offering incentives for reviews and selectively asking only happy clients, and in the US the FTC's rule bans buying reviews of a particular sentiment.

1. Thank the reviewer for their feedback without confirming any relationship.
2. For a complaint, say you take feedback seriously and give the name of the person who handles complaints.
3. Never quote documents, dates or outcomes in a reply.
4. When someone asks a legal question in comments, reply with general information and invite them to book, rather than advising in public.
5. Treat direct messages from potential clients as enquiries: run your usual conflict checks before discussing anything.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews, checked 15 October 2026; Google Maps user-generated content policy: fake engagement, checked 15 October 2026; FTC final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026

Use four pillars: explainers, people, process and firm news. Ask each lawyer for one idea a month from the questions clients asked them.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Brand Brain can hold your tone and words you never use, such as "guaranteed" or "the best". Zolyp does not check posts against SRA or bar rules, so have a solicitor or compliance lead approve each week. Plans start at $29/mo.

1. Week 1: collect five client questions from fee earners and pick two to answer.
2. Week 2: film or photograph one team member and write a process post.
3. Week 3: post firm news and one explainer from a named lawyer on LinkedIn.
4. Week 4: reply to reviews, check which posts brought enquiries, and plan next month.