Client reviews for solicitors: which platform, which matters, and where confidentiality draws the line

Solicitors can and should ask clients for reviews: the SRA Code's restriction on unsolicited approaches does not apply to current and former clients, and Google leans heavily on reviews when it decides which offices appear in the map. The limits come from confidentiality and consumer law, so invite every client in the same way, never reply in a way that confirms who a client is or what the matter was, and never offer anything in return. The decisions most firms have not made are which platform to send clients to and which matters to ask on.

Choose the platform before you ask anyone

For a high-street firm, Google comes first because it decides the map. ReviewSolicitors comes second, because its pages sit beside the firm's own site when a referred client checks the name. A national or online service may add Trustpilot. Ask each client for one review on one platform; a client asked for three usually leaves none.

Which matters to ask on, and at what moment

The right moment differs between departments, and so does the question of whether to ask at all.

• Conveyancing: on completion day. The client has the keys and the conveyancer's name is fresh.
• Wills and lasting powers of attorney: when the signed documents go back to the client or the registration comes through. Older clients often prefer a printed card with a short link to a text message.
• Probate: after the final distribution to beneficiaries, not at the grant, when the executor is still grieving and still busy.
• Family: after the final order, and only where the client seems comfortable. Many people do not want a public review of their divorce, and the request should say plainly that it is optional.
• Employment: check the settlement agreement first. Many contain confidentiality clauses, and a review naming the employer or the terms could put your client in breach. Suggest they describe the service, not the result.
• Personal injury: once damages are paid, with a reminder not to mention the amount.
• Crime and immigration: only if the client raises it. Some clients cannot risk being publicly linked to the matter.

Leaving out a whole category of matter for reasons of confidentiality is different from leaving out unhappy clients. The second is the selection Google and consumer law forbid; within the departments you ask on, ask everyone.

The request, in words a fee earner will send

Build the request into the closing letter or email template, so it goes out without anyone needing to remember. Something like: "If you were happy with how we dealt with this, a short Google review would help other people choose a solicitor. You are welcome to mention the kind of work, but please leave out the details of your case." That last sentence protects the client and the firm, and the kind of work is what Google reads anyway. Add the short link, and a QR code for letters. Send one reminder a week later, then leave it.

Send it from the fee earner who ran the matter, not from a no-reply marketing address. Clients answer a person they have dealt with for months, and a request in the firm's name alone reads like a survey. Keep a monthly count for each office of matters closed, requests sent and reviews received; if requests fall behind completions, the template is not being used.

Replying without confirming anything

A reply to a review is a public statement by the firm, and the duty to keep clients' affairs confidential, paragraph 6.3 of the SRA Code of Conduct, applies to it. Even confirming that the reviewer was a client can be a disclosure. For a positive review, thank them without mentioning the matter. For a critical one, thank them for the feedback, say the firm takes concerns seriously, and point them to the complaints procedure published on the website. Do not correct the facts in public, however unfair the review. If a review is abusive, or plainly from someone who was never a client, report it through Google's own process rather than arguing in the reply.

What the law and the platforms forbid

• Rewarding a review in any form: a discount, a prize draw, a donation for each one. Google bans incentives outright, and since 6 April 2025 the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has made fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews banned practices.
• Asking only the clients you expect to be pleased, or screening with a satisfaction question before showing the link. Google calls this selective solicitation and does not allow it.
• Displaying only the flattering reviews on your own site in a way that misleads. The same Act covers presenting reviews misleadingly, and the SRA Code requires publicity to be accurate and not misleading.
• Reviews written by staff, their families or an agency. Google removes them, and they invite scrutiny of every other review on the profile.
• Posting a review for a client, even with their permission.

Reviews and case studies on the firm's own pages

Quoting reviews on practice pages works well when the platform, the date and the kind of matter are shown, with the client's first name or initials only if they agreed. Case studies need more care: written consent, identifying details removed, and a check that the facts could not point to the client in a small town where people know one another. Where consent is not possible, write an illustrative example and label it as one. Our local SEO for solicitors work sets up the review routine for each office and places the reviews on the right practice pages; the quote page is where to start.