Do Review Requests Count as Solicitation? (The Legal Answer)
Review requests aren't solicitation. Here's the legal answer, bar association guidance, and exactly what actually crosses the line.
You can ask for reviews. It's not solicitation. But only if you understand the distinction — and there's a specific line you can't cross. Here's where it actually is.
What you'll learn:
- The legal definition of solicitation and why review requests don't meet it
- What bar associations actually say about this
- The one thing that DOES turn a review request into solicitation
- Why this matters for your law firm's review strategy
The Question Lawyers Actually Ask
You've spent two years building a review strategy. You've got 15 reviews. You're starting to see leads. Then someone asks: "Wait — isn't asking for reviews just solicitation with a different name?"
And you freeze.
Because you don't want to breach ethics rules. And you're not entirely sure where the line is.
So let me be clear: it's not solicitation. At all. But I'll explain why, because the reasoning matters.
The Distinction: Solicitation Versus Feedback
Here's the legal definition of solicitation, according to most bar associations:
Solicitation is "direct communication with a prospective client seeking business on behalf of a lawyer or law firm."
Notice the key words: prospective client. Someone who hasn't hired you yet.
When you ask an existing client for a review, you're not seeking business from them. They've already hired you. The work is done. You're asking for feedback on that work.
That's relationship management. That's not solicitation.
Put simply: solicitation is trying to turn a stranger into a client. Asking for a review is asking an existing client to share feedback. Completely different thing.
What Bar Associations Actually Say About Reviews
This isn't ambiguous. Bar associations across the UK, US, and Commonwealth countries have all addressed this.
The Law Society of England and Wales, the American Bar Association, and various state bar associations have all confirmed: asking existing clients for reviews is not solicitation.
Why? Because:
- You're not seeking new business (the client is past business)
- You're not offering anything conditional (like discounts on future fees)
- You're not targeting strangers or prospects
- You're asking for feedback, not for a referral
The only caveat? Your request has to be general. It has to respect confidentiality. And it can't involve incentives.
But as long as those three things are true, you're operating within ethical guidelines.
The One Thing That DOES Cross the Line
So what actually turns a review request into solicitation? Or worse, an ethics breach?
Offering incentives.
Specifically: "Leave us a review and we'll give you 10% off your next matter" or "Refer a friend and you'll get a discount on future legal fees."
That's where you've crossed over. Because now you're not asking for feedback. You're saying, "Give us feedback and we'll give you business incentives."
That turns it into solicitation. That's against the rules.
So don't do it.
You can ask for reviews. Absolutely. You cannot offer discounts, vouchers, gift cards, referral bonuses, or anything else tied to reviews.
Everything else is fair game.
The Safe Framing: General Feedback, Not Business Development
Here's how to think about it when you're asking:
Frame it as: "We'd love your feedback on your experience with us."
Not as: "Help us get more business" or "Send us your friends" or "Leave us a good review."
The framing matters because it shows intent. And intent is what bar associations care about.
You're gathering feedback. You're not drumming up business. Even though, yes, good reviews do generate business. But that's the byproduct, not the reason you're asking.
And if someone asks whether your motivation is partly lead generation? Of course it is. That's fine. Law firms need clients. Getting clients through word of mouth and social proof is ethical.
What's not ethical is incentivising it or framing it as business development rather than feedback.
Why This Matters for Your Strategy
Here's why I'm belaboring this point.
If you're worried about crossing an ethics line, you'll never build reviews. You'll be too cautious. You'll ask once every few years. You'll get minimal results.
But if you understand that asking is completely legitimate — it's just feedback from existing clients — you can build a proper system.
You can ask consistently. You can train your team to ask. You can integrate it into your client closing process. You can build to 50+ reviews without any ethical anxiety.
Because you're not doing anything wrong. You're asking for feedback.
The Bar Association Guidance (The Actual Words)
For what it's worth, here are some real quotes from actual bar association guidance:
The American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct say that solicitation applies to "live person-to-person contact" seeking business "on behalf of a lawyer or law firm."
Asking for a review from an existing client? Not seeking business. Not direct solicitation. Clear.
The Law Society of England and Wales guidance on publicity and information says that "a lawyer may provide information about their services." It doesn't prohibit asking existing clients for reviews. Because that's not new business development. That's feedback from past clients.
Various state bar associations have issued opinions confirming the same thing. You can Google "attorney review requests solicitation" and you'll find dozens of bar opinions saying the same thing: it's fine. It's ethical. Do it.
What You Should Actually Worry About
If ethics aren't the issue, what should worry you?
One: Making the ask confidentiality-safe (covered in the previous post).
Two: Not offering incentives.
That's genuinely it. Those are your only two boundaries.
Everything else — timing the ask, the wording, how often you ask, building a review system, using reviews in your marketing — none of that is a problem.
Why Firms Still Get Nervous About This
The nervousness usually comes from conflating a few different things:
- Confusion about what solicitation actually means (it's prospecting, not asking for feedback)
- Worry about confidentiality (separate issue, and it's manageable)
- Guilt about wanting more business (which is fine — you're allowed to want business)
But the worry about solicitation itself? Unfounded.
You're not soliciting. You're asking an existing client for feedback. That's legitimate. Bar associations have said so repeatedly.
The Real Action: Start Asking
So if you've been holding back from building reviews because you thought it might breach solicitation rules — stop.
It doesn't.
You can ask. You should ask. And you can ask consistently.
Existing clients. Two to four weeks after case close. General feedback on their experience. No incentives. That's your system.
It's ethical. It's legitimate. And it works.
In Summary
Solicitation = seeking new business from prospects or strangers
Review requests = asking existing clients for feedback on their experience
These are not the same thing. Bar associations have confirmed this repeatedly across multiple jurisdictions.
The only line you can't cross: don't offer incentives tied to reviews.
Everything else is fair game.
So. Has concern about solicitation been holding you back from asking for reviews? For what it's worth, it shouldn't be. Drop a comment if you've been worried about this. I reckon you're not alone.