Lawyer Ethics Boards: Tread Lightly In Responding To Negative Online Reviews

Two recent ethics opinions out of California advise caution on the part of attorneys burned by negative online reviews. Responses to a former client who takes to Yelp or other social media sites to air dirty laundry or make accusations against a lawyer must be “proportionate and restrained,” The Los Angeles County bar advised its members. Similarly, the Bar Association of San Francisco said that, members are “not barred from responding generally to an online review … where the former client’s matter has concluded,” but it warned that it may be “inappropriate … to provide any substantive response in the online forum, even one that does not disclose confidential information.”