What ABA Model Rules and State Bar Advertising Regulations Actually Require From Your Bankruptcy Firm's Website

The American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct provide the framework most states adopt (with modifications) for attorney advertising. Three rules directly affect your bankruptcy firm's SEO and website content.

Model Rule 7.1 (Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services) prohibits false or misleading communications about you or your services. This includes material omissions and statements that create unjustified expectations. Your SEO title tags, meta descriptions, and page copy all fall under this rule.

Model Rule 7.2 (Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services: Specific Rules) permits advertising through any media but requires certain disclosures. It addresses payment for referrals, reciprocal referral arrangements, and the inclusion of office addresses and responsible attorney names.

Model Rule 7.3 (Solicitation of Clients) restricts direct solicitation of prospective clients. While this applies more to outbound marketing than SEO, it affects how you can use retargeting ads, email marketing to prospects, and certain chat features on your website.

Note: This is educational content about advertising rules, not legal advice. Verify current rules with your state bar before implementing.

The key phrase in Rule 7.1 is 'misleading.' A statement can be literally true but still misleading if it omits material information or creates unjustified expectations about results. This matters enormously for SEO copy that discusses case outcomes or firm capabilities.

While most states base their rules on the ABA Model Rules, the variations can be significant. What's compliant in one state may trigger an ethics complaint in another.

Specialist and Expert Claims: Some states (like California) have strict certification requirements before you can call yourself a 'specialist.' Others allow the term with appropriate disclaimers. Still others prohibit it entirely without state bar certification. Your SEO strategy around practice area pages must account for this.

Testimonials and Endorsements: State approaches range from outright prohibition to requiring specific disclaimers about results not being designed to. New York requires certain disclaimers. Florida has specific requirements about client consent. Texas prohibits testimonials unless accompanied by specific disclaimer language.

Past Results and Case Outcomes: Many states allow discussion of past results but require disclaimers that prior results don't guarantee similar outcomes. The specificity required varies—some want exact language, others allow substantial compliance.

Advertising Filing Requirements: Some states require you to file advertising materials with the bar (Florida historically required this, though rules evolve). Others have no filing requirement but may review complaints.

Always verify current rules in every jurisdiction where you're licensed. Rules change, and this content reflects general patterns as of publication.

Multi-state bankruptcy practices face particular complexity. If you're licensed in three states with different advertising rules, your website must comply with all three—which typically means following the most restrictive interpretation.

Based on our work with bankruptcy attorneys, certain compliance issues appear repeatedly in website copy and SEO content. These aren't always obvious violations—they often stem from aggressive marketing language that seemed fine at first draft.

Unqualified Specialist Claims: Page titles or meta descriptions stating 'Bankruptcy Specialist' or 'Expert Bankruptcy Attorney' without meeting state certification requirements. In states with certification programs, this language triggers review.

Implied Guarantees: Copy suggesting designed to outcomes ('We'll eliminate your debt') or implying success rates that don't reflect actual case data. Even softer language like 'We always fight for the best outcome' can be problematic in some jurisdictions.

Testimonials Without Disclaimers: Client reviews quoted on service pages without required disclaimer language about results not being designed to. Google Business Profile reviews may have different treatment than curated website testimonials.

Misleading Comparison Claims: Stating you're the '#1 bankruptcy firm' or 'top-rated' without verifiable basis. These claims appear in title tags and meta descriptions where character limits make disclaimers difficult.

Fee Advertising Issues: Advertising '$0 down bankruptcy' or specific fee amounts without required disclosures about what's included and excluded. BAPCPA adds additional requirements here.

The SEO challenge is real: compelling copy that drives clicks may push ethical boundaries. The solution isn't bland copy—it's specific, truthful claims that differentiate without overpromising.

Compliant copy isn't weak copy. The goal is specificity and truthfulness—which actually performs better in search because it signals expertise and builds trust.

Replace 'Expert' Claims With Credential Specifics: Instead of 'expert bankruptcy attorney,' try 'bankruptcy attorney since 2008' or 'handled Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases in [County] for 15 years.' Verifiable facts outperform vague superlatives.

Frame Results as Possibilities, Not Promises: 'Many clients find Chapter 7 eliminates credit card debt' is truthful and useful. 'We'll eliminate your credit card debt' is a promise you can't make. The difference is subtle but significant.

Use Disclaimers Strategically: Required disclaimers don't have to torpedo your copy. Place them appropriately—in testimonial sections, near case result discussions, and on pages making outcome claims. Most users understand professional services require caveats.

Avoid Comparative Claims You Can't Verify: 'Experienced bankruptcy team' works. 'The most experienced bankruptcy team in Austin' requires proof. 'Serving Austin bankruptcy clients since 1995' is specific and verifiable.

Build Authority Through Specificity: Detail your Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 approach. Explain your means test analysis process. Discuss how you handle specific asset exemption questions. This content demonstrates expertise without making claims that require certification.

The firms that rank well and stay compliant focus on what they can prove rather than what sounds impressive.

The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) imposes federal disclosure requirements that interact with state bar advertising rules. Your website compliance strategy needs to account for both.

Debt Relief Agency Disclosures (11 U.S.C. §528): If your practice qualifies as a 'debt relief agency' under BAPCPA, specific disclosures are required in advertisements. The exact language and placement requirements affect your website copy and may need to appear on service pages.

Fee Disclosure Requirements (11 U.S.C. §527): BAPCPA requires certain written disclosures about services and fees before clients sign agreements. While this applies primarily to client intake, advertising that references fees should align with what you'll actually disclose.

Intersection With State Rules: Some state bars have issued opinions on how BAPCPA disclosures interact with state advertising rules. The federal requirements don't preempt state ethics rules—you need to comply with both.

We cover BAPCPA disclosure requirements in detail in our companion guide on BAPCPA disclosures for bankruptcy attorney websites.

This is educational content about regulatory requirements. Consult with a legal ethics attorney about your specific disclosure obligations under BAPCPA and your state bar rules.

The practical impact for SEO: pages that advertise bankruptcy services, discuss fees, or make claims about debt elimination need to incorporate required disclosures without creating compliance gaps.

Compliance isn't a one-time audit—it's an ongoing process that needs to be built into how your firm creates and publishes content.

Pre-Publication Review: Before any page goes live, someone with knowledge of your state's advertising rules should review the copy. This doesn't have to be a partner reviewing every blog post—but service pages, practice area content, and any page making claims about results needs review.

Testimonial and Review Management: Establish a process for how client reviews are solicited, displayed, and accompanied by disclaimers. Your Google Business Profile and website testimonials may need different treatment based on how you curate and present them.

Annual Compliance Audit: State rules change. Your website accumulates content over time. Schedule an annual review of existing pages against current rules. Pay particular attention to older blog posts that may use language that was acceptable when published but is problematic now.

Documentation: Maintain records of compliance reviews, rule changes you've incorporated, and the reasoning behind specific language choices. If a complaint arises, documentation of good-faith compliance efforts matters.

When working with an SEO provider, ensure they understand attorney advertising rules or collaborate with someone who does. SEO tactics that work for other industries may create compliance problems for law firms.

For bankruptcy practices ready to implement compliant SEO strategies, our compliant SEO for bankruptcy lawyers approach integrates regulatory requirements from the start rather than retrofitting compliance later.