A law firm’s reputation lives online just as much as it lives in the courtroom. Clients check Google, review sites, and increasingly AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity before they ever pick up the phone, and one careless response to a negative review can trigger a bar complaint just as easily as it can win back a client’s trust. This single session program covers the full lifecycle of digital reputation, from building a defensible online presence, to handling client and non-client reviews within the bounds of Model Rule 1.6 and ABA Formal Opinion 496, to knowing when a demand letter is enough and when litigation becomes necessary.
Syllabus
- Why online reputation now functions as a law firm’s front door, including consumer trust data and how AI powered search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) shapes first impressions
- Building a credible online presence: review platforms, soliciting client testimonials the right way, and current FTC guidance on reviews
- The decision framework for responding to a negative review: can you respond, should you, and how
- Rule 1.6 confidentiality limits when responding to current, former, and non-client reviewers
- ABA Formal Opinion 496 and the permissible, non-sanctionable response language attorneys can actually use
- Disciplinary consequences of a noncompliant response, with real case examples
- The takedown escalation ladder: platform requests, contacting the poster, demand letters, and the Streisand Effect
- When to file suit: elements of a defamation claim, common defenses, and related claims (false light, tortious interference)
- Litigating against an anonymous poster: drafting a John Doe complaint, unmasking strategies, and First Amendment safeguards
