For a criminal defense firm, reviews are harder to collect than in almost any other practice area, because most clients don't want their name publicly attached to a criminal case. You can still build a steady review profile. Ask every client (and the family members who hired you), ask after the case is resolved, and ask them to describe how you treated them rather than what they were charged with.
It takes longer than it would for a family or estate planning firm. That's fine. Your competitors face the same problem, and most of them handle it badly.
Why Criminal Defense Firms Struggle to Get Reviews
A Google review is posted under the reviewer's Google profile. For a client who just got a theft charge reduced, that's a public record linking their name to a criminal lawyer, visible to employers, neighbors and anyone who looks. Even happy clients hesitate.
A few other things work against you:
- Many outcomes are mixed. A negotiated plea may be a good result legally and still feel like a loss to the client.
- Some clients are in custody, or were, and aren't in a frame of mind to do you a favor.
- The person who hired you (a parent, a spouse) may not be the client, and may not think they're "allowed" to review.
- Clients worry, reasonably, that writing about their case could hurt them.
None of that is a reason to stop asking. It's a reason to ask differently.
Ask for Reviews About the Service, Not the Charge
The most useful change you can make is to tell clients what to write about. A review that says "He returned my calls within an hour and explained every step" helps your firm as much as one that names the charge and the outcome, and it exposes the client to far less.
Say it directly when you ask: "You don't need to mention your case or what it was about. If you're comfortable, a sentence about how we communicated with you or how you felt about the process is perfect."
That also protects the client in a practical sense. Anything a person writes publicly about their own case is a statement, and for someone whose matter is still open, or who could face related proceedings, that's a risk. Don't ask for reviews while a case is pending.
When to Ask, and Whom
Ask at the end of the representation, every time, and include the family members who were part of it. Here's how the main situations usually play out.
| Situation | Ask for a review? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case dismissed or acquitted | Yes, soon after | Clients are relieved and most willing now |
| Favorable plea or reduced charge | Yes | Frame it around communication and effort |
| Parent or spouse who hired you | Yes | They were your customer too; ask them to describe their own experience |
| Case still pending | No | Public statements about an open case can hurt the client |
| Juvenile matter | Only general reviews from parents | Nothing that could identify the minor |
"Every time" matters. Google's review policies prohibit selectively soliciting positive reviews, so don't screen clients with a happiness survey first and only send the link to the happy ones. Ask everyone, or nobody. On the juvenile side, our page on juvenile defense marketing covers why minors' privacy needs extra care. Domestic violence matters have their own sensitivities, since the other party may read your profile too; see domestic violence defense marketing.
A Review Request That Respects Privacy
A good request is short, personal, sent by text, and includes the direct link from your Google Business Profile. Something like:
"Hi Maria, thank you again for trusting us with your case. If you're willing, a short Google review helps other people find a lawyer when they need one. You don't need to mention your case at all; a line about how we communicated is plenty. Here's the link: [link]. No pressure either way."
Some legal directories let reviewers use a display name or post without their full name. Check each platform's current settings and mention the option to clients who say they'd review if it weren't public. Never write reviews for clients, never post them yourself, and never offer anything in exchange. Google prohibits incentivized reviews, and ABA Model Rule 7.2(b) limits giving anything of value for a recommendation.
Responding to Negative Reviews Without Breaking Confidentiality
When a former client posts an angry review, you can respond, but you can't reveal anything about their case. Not the charge, not what they told you, not the plea offer they rejected against your advice.
ABA Formal Opinion 496 (2021) concluded that a negative online review alone doesn't justify revealing confidential client information, and that lawyers responding online should not disclose information relating to the representation. ABA Model Rule 1.6 protects that information broadly, and the fact of representation itself may be confidential. Your state may have its own opinions on this, so check them. Our attorney advertising compliance guide covers the broader rules.
A safe template: "Our professional obligations prevent us from discussing any client matter. We take all feedback seriously, and anyone with a concern is welcome to contact our office directly." Short, calm, and it signals to readers that you're the professional in the exchange. If a review appears to be fake or from someone who was never a client, you can flag it to Google for policy violations, but you still shouldn't discuss the person's case publicly.
Stuck at a handful of reviews?
We'll look at your review profile, your request process and your response history, and suggest a privacy-safe system that fits a criminal practice.
How Reviews Affect Your Map Pack Visibility
Reviews matter for local rankings as well as trust. Google's own guidance says review count and review score factor into local search ranking, alongside relevance and distance. For "criminal lawyer near me" searches, a steady stream of recent reviews helps you hold a spot in the three-pack.
Steady matters more than a burst. Twenty reviews in one week after two years of silence looks odd to readers and does less than two a month for a year. Build the ask into your case-closing checklist so it happens without anyone remembering to do it.
For the ranking side in more detail, see how the Map Pack ranks attorneys and our criminal defense Google Business Profile guide. If you want a hand with the profile itself, our free one-week Map Pack trial is a low-commitment way to start, and the general attorney review management guide covers tools and workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask every client at the end of the representation, by text, with a direct Google review link. Tell them they don't need to mention their case or charge, and suggest they describe communication or how they were treated. Include parents or spouses who hired you. Don't ask while a case is pending, and never offer incentives or ask only happy clients.
Yes, but without revealing any information about the representation. ABA Formal Opinion 496 concluded that a negative online review alone doesn't justify disclosing confidential information under Rule 1.6. A short, neutral reply saying professional obligations prevent discussing client matters, and inviting the person to contact the office, is generally the safe approach. Check your state's own guidance.
Generally yes, if they genuinely dealt with the firm, for example a parent who hired the lawyer and communicated with the office. They should describe their own experience rather than the client's case details. Reviews from staff, the lawyer's own relatives or anyone without a real experience with the firm violate Google's policies and may raise bar rule concerns.
Yes. Google states that review count and review score factor into local search ranking, along with relevance and distance. For criminal defense, where many searches are “near me” and urgent, a steady flow of recent reviews helps a firm compete for the three Map Pack spots and builds trust with people deciding quickly whom to call.
No. Google's review policies prohibit selectively soliciting positive reviews, which includes screening clients with a satisfaction survey and only sending the review link to happy ones. Build the request into your case-closing process so every client is asked the same way. The occasional critical review also makes a profile look more credible to readers.