How Can a Law Firm Get More Google Reviews?

When someone searches for a solicitor near them, one of the first things they see is a row of firms on a map, each with a star rating and a number of reviews beside it. Before they have read a word of your website, they have already formed a view. A firm with a handful of reviews from several years ago can look less established than it really is, even if its work is excellent and most of its clients are delighted.

Most firms already have plenty of satisfied clients. The gap is usually not the quality of the service but the absence of a simple, consistent way of asking. This guide sets out how to build one, without awkwardness and within the rules.

The short answer

Ask every suitable client, at the moment the matter concludes well, with a direct link that takes them straight to your Google review form. Make the request part of your file-closing routine rather than something done occasionally when someone remembers. Keep it within Google's policies and the law on fake reviews: no incentives, and no asking only the clients you expect to be positive. Then reply to every review you receive, positive or negative, without disclosing anything confidential.

Why Google reviews matter for law firms

Reviews do two jobs at once. They help prospective clients choose between firms, and they are one of the signals Google uses when deciding which businesses to show in local results. Google's own help page on improving local ranking says that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking.

For legal services, the first job matters a great deal. People cannot easily judge legal expertise in advance, so they look for reassurance that others in a similar position were looked after well. Recent reviews that mention clear communication, being kept informed and feeling supported through a stressful time are often more persuasive than anything a firm can say about itself.

Reviews also support referred work. Someone recommended by a friend will often still look the firm up before making contact. A strong, recent set of reviews confirms the recommendation; a thin or dated profile can quietly undermine it.

Why many firms have fewer reviews than they deserve

Law firms are understandably more cautious about reviews than many other businesses. In a 2021 survey of law firms by the Access Group for the Solicitors Regulation Authority, published in 2022, 44% of responding firms said they directed clients to leave reviews. Among those that did not, the most common reasons included having other feedback systems, concerns about fake reviews and concerns about client confidentiality.

Those concerns are reasonable, but they can usually be managed. In practice, the reasons a firm's review count stays low tend to be more ordinary:

• Nobody owns the task, so asking depends on individual fee earners remembering.
• The request comes weeks after the matter closes, when the client has moved on.
• Clients are sent to a general search page or a profile and have to hunt for the review button.
• The firm asks in bursts, so reviews arrive in clumps and then dry up for months.
• Some matters feel too sensitive to ask about, and that hesitation spreads to matters where a request would be welcome.

Step 1: Get your Google Business Profile in order

Before asking anyone for a review, make sure the profile they will land on reflects the firm properly. Check that the firm name, address, phone number, opening hours, categories and website link are accurate, that your practice areas are described clearly, and that there are current photos of the office and team. If the firm has more than one office, each should have its own verified profile, and clients should be asked to review the office that handled their matter.

Step 2: Create a direct review link

From your Google Business Profile you can generate a short link that opens the review form directly. This single step removes most of the effort for the client. Save the link somewhere everyone can find it, add it to your email templates and, if useful, turn it into a QR code for printed materials or the reception desk.

Step 3: Decide when to ask

Timing matters more than wording. The best moment is usually just after a clear, positive milestone, while the client still feels the relief of it. That might be completion on a purchase, a settlement being agreed, a will being signed, or a final hearing that has gone well.

Agree the trigger point for each practice area and build it into your file-closing checklist, so the request goes out as a matter of routine rather than at the discretion of whoever is busiest. Some matters will be unsuitable, such as a bereavement where the family is still grieving, or a dispute where emotions are running high. Use sensible discretion for those, but set a firm-wide rule for the rest so the decision is about the type of matter, not about whether you expect a glowing response.

Step 4: Ask in person first, then follow up in writing

A brief personal request from the fee earner who handled the matter is far more effective than an anonymous email. Something as simple as "If you have been happy with how we have looked after you, it would really help us if you could leave a short review on Google. I will send you a link" is enough.

Follow it up the same day with a short email or text containing the direct link. Keep it warm and brief, thank them for choosing the firm, and make clear the review is entirely optional. Many clients mean to leave a review and simply forget, so a single polite reminder a week or so later is reasonable. More than that starts to feel like pressure.

Step 5: Make clients comfortable about confidentiality

Clients are sometimes unsure what they can say, particularly in family, employment or private client matters. It helps to reassure them that they do not need to describe their case at all, and that a few words about how they were treated is plenty. Some clients will prefer to leave a review using their initials. That is their choice, and it is worth respecting rather than encouraging them to share more than they are comfortable with.

Step 6: Stay within the rules

Getting more reviews is only worthwhile if they are genuine. Three sets of rules are relevant.

• Google's review policies prohibit offering incentives in exchange for reviews and selectively asking only customers you expect to leave positive ones. Reviews that break these policies can be removed.
• Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has banned fake consumer reviews in the UK, along with concealed incentivised reviews and presenting reviews in a misleading way, such as suppressing negative ones. The Competition and Markets Authority enforces these rules and can impose significant fines.
• The Solicitors Regulation Authority's guidance on engaging with online reviews says firms can encourage clients to post reviews, for example by sharing a link to a review site of their choice, and should not pressure clients or review sites to remove negative reviews.

In practice, that means never writing reviews on clients' behalf, never asking staff, friends or family to post reviews, never offering discounts or gifts for a review, and never filtering out clients who might be critical. Firms remain responsible for their own compliance, so it is sensible for whoever oversees compliance in the practice to approve the review process and the wording of any requests.

Step 7: Reply to every review

Replying shows prospective clients that the firm is attentive, and it encourages others to leave reviews of their own. Keep replies short, personal and professional. Thank the reviewer, refer to something specific where you can do so without revealing anything about the matter, and avoid copying the same template reply across dozens of reviews.

Negative reviews need particular care. Do not confirm that the reviewer was a client, discuss their matter or reveal anything confidential or privileged, even if they have shared details themselves. A calm reply that acknowledges their concern and invites them to contact the firm directly is usually best. If you believe a review is fake or from someone who was never a client, report it through Google rather than arguing in public. The SRA's guidance covers this in more detail and is worth reading before you reply to anything difficult.

Step 8: Keep it going and measure it

A steady flow of reviews looks more credible than a burst followed by silence, and it keeps your profile current. Set up alerts so new reviews are seen and answered promptly, and check monthly how many requests were sent, how many reviews arrived and how quickly they were answered. If requests are being sent but reviews are not appearing, the timing or the link is usually the problem. If requests are not being sent at all, the process needs an owner.

Automation can help here without making the process impersonal. When a matter is marked as complete, a system can send the review request and a reminder automatically, so nothing depends on memory. The fee earner's personal word at the end of the matter still does most of the work; the system simply makes sure the follow-up always happens.

How reviews fit into the bigger picture

Reviews work best alongside the other parts of being found online: a clear website, a well-maintained Google Business Profile and content that answers the questions people actually search for. They also connect directly to how enquiries are handled, because a prospective client who chose you partly on the strength of your reviews will expect the same standard of service from the first reply. The marketing for solicitors page explains how visibility and enquiry handling fit together, and the law firm SEO page covers the search side in more depth.

Where to start

If you are not sure how your firm's online presence compares, or where enquiries might be slipping away once people find you, the 2-minute Client Scorecard takes a few minutes and highlights the most likely gaps. If you would rather talk it through, you are welcome to book a discovery call and we can look at your current setup together, with no obligation.