Client Reviews Policy
Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory is a service intended to allow clients to share their insights into lawyers’ services. We hope that Client Reviews will help others decide whether a lawyer may be a good fit for their specific needs.
Justia has developed these policies for Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory to help ensure that user-generated content is helpful and accurate. These policies explain how the Justia Lawyer Directory publishes reviews, how inappropriate content is handled, and the necessary criteria for submitting a client review for publishing.
All client reviews must be based on an attorney-client relationship. We may require proof of a written agreement to provide representation, such as an engagement letter, a retainer agreement, a court appointment order or notice, etc. Non-client reviews, fake reviews, reviews containing obscene, sexual, or otherwise illegal or inappropriate content, and reviews containing advertising or spam are not allowed, and are in violation of the policies herein. Lawyers are encouraged to flag any offensive client reviews.
Justia and the Justia Lawyer Directory reserve the right to disable user-generated content to prevent abuse, libel, and/or slander. Justia and the Justia Lawyer Directory reserve the right to remove content that violates our policies or terms of service, and to remove offending or abusive accounts. Justia and the Justia Lawyer Directory further reserve the right to remove any user-generated content for any other reason not stated herein.
These policies may be updated from time to time.
User-generated content in the form of client reviews will be publicly viewable to anyone who accesses the Justia Lawyer Directory. If you do not want your content or information shared, please do not publish the information through Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory. User-generated content must abide by the policies outlined herein.
Users may request that a review be updated or removed at any time by contacting us. Additionally, lawyers may opt out of receiving client reviews at any time.
Verifying Identity. Only users who have a Facebook or LinkedIn account may participate in Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory. This requirement allows the Justia Lawyer Directory to verify identities through names and email addresses. The verification process should be simple and efficient.
Reviews are not Anonymous. The attorney being reviewed will receive the reviewer’s full name. However, the reviewer may choose how their name is displayed on the review. The default option involves displaying the reviewer’s full name (first and last names), but the reviewer may choose to replace their first name, their last name, or both with an initial.
Eligible Participants. Only people who have received professional services from an attorney in a legal matter may review that attorney. We may require proof of a written agreement to provide representation, such as an engagement letter, a retainer agreement, a court appointment order or notice, etc. Personal friends of an attorney should not review that attorney if they have not received professional services from the attorney.
Publishing Reviews. A client review on the Justia Lawyer Directory will be published no more than 24 hours after it has been submitted. It will be published sooner if the attorney responds to the review less than 24 hours after it has been submitted. If the attorney flags the review for moderation, the review will not be published at that time. The reviewer will be provided with seven (7) days to provide verification contesting the attorney’s assertion. If no verification is provided, the review will be permanently unpublished and not viewable by the public. If the reviewer provides verification, the lawyer will be asked to provide additional information within seven (7) days. If this additional information shows that the review should not be published, it will be permanently unpublished and not viewable by the public. If the lawyer does not provide additional information, the review will be published and viewable by the public.
Editing Reviews. Edits may be made to a client review on the Justia Lawyer Directory by contacting us. We will be happy to assist you. Please provide the details in your email, such as a link to the profile and/or review and the specific updates to be made.
Multiple Reviews. Each client may review an attorney only once. If a review needs to be updated or edited, please contact us. We will be happy to assist you. Please provide the details in your email, such as a link to the profile and/or review and the specific updates to be made.
Responding to Reviews. A lawyer who receives a client review on the Justia Lawyer Directory will receive a notification email when a review of the lawyer’s services is submitted. This notification email includes a link to respond to the review. A review will be published regardless of whether the lawyer responds to the review, unless the lawyer flags the review for moderation.
Removing Reviews. Although a lawyer may not remove a review on their own, a lawyer may contest a review if the person who wrote the review did not actually receive legal services from the lawyer. This may eventually result in the removal of the review. If the person leaving the review received legal services from the lawyer, but the lawyer feels that the review is inaccurate or misleading, the lawyer may respond to the review by using the link in the notification email.
Opting Out of Client Reviews. Lawyers may opt out of Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory at any time. If a lawyer wishes to continue receiving reviews from peers and colleagues, the lawyer may opt out of only client reviews and not lawyer reviews. To opt out of Client Reviews, please contact us. We will be happy to assist you.
Lawyer Rating Unaffected by Client Reviews. Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory has no impact on a lawyer’s rating on the Justia Lawyer Directory. Again, lawyers may opt out of Client Reviews but still participate in receiving reviews from peers and colleagues.
All participants in Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory must abide by the content guidelines below. The guidelines will dictate the content that is allowed in a client review on the Justia Lawyer Directory.
Did Not Perform Legal Services. Only clients who have received legal services from a lawyer may provide a client review on the Justia Lawyer Directory of that lawyer. Lawyers may flag any reviews that do not pertain to actual legal services rendered.
Conflicts of Interest. Only clients who have received actual legal services from a lawyer may provide a client review for that lawyer on the Justia Lawyer Directory. Friends, family members, and close acquaintances should not leave client reviews unless they have received legal services from the lawyer.
Irrelevant Content. All client reviews must relate to actual legal services rendered for clients. If the review does not pertain to actual legal services rendered, the review is not allowed. Lawyers may flag any reviews that do not pertain to actual legal services rendered.
Illegal or Inappropriate Content. Content that is deemed illegal or inappropriate is not permitted. Examples of illegal or inappropriate content include content protected by a recognized privilege, content sealed under court order, threats, bigotry, hate speech, harassment, lewd or sexual content, and more. Do not use obscene language or swear words in a review. Reviews containing illegal or inappropriate content may be removed at Justia’s discretion.
Promotional Content. Content that consists of advertising or spam is not permitted. Client reviews should not be an avenue for advertising. Reviews containing this content may be removed at Justia’s discretion.
Privacy. Personally identifying information is not allowed. Reviews should not include any information that can be used to identify the reviewer or any third party.
Intellectual Property. Content that is protected by copyright, trademark, patent, or trade secret law is not allowed. Do not post content that you do not have permission to post.
Client Reviews on the Justia Lawyer Directory utilizes minimum character requirements to ensure that every client review provides worthwhile information. You must meet the minimum character requirements in order to post a client review.
Headlines. Headlines must be between 10 and 100 characters, punctuation and spaces included. A headline should provide a brief summary of the client review.
Reviews. Reviews must be between 250 and 5,000 characters, punctuation and spaces included. A review should accurately provide a summary of the legal services provided, the pros and cons of the services, and any relevant details that may guide users as to whether a lawyer may be a good fit for their specific needs. Reviews should be helpful, specific, and clear.
Recommendation. Every client review must answer whether or not the reviewer recommends the lawyer in question. The review itself should explain why or why not the reviewer recommends the lawyer.
Displayed Name. Reviewers may select how to display their names next to their reviews. The default option involves displaying the reviewer’s full name (first and last names), but the reviewer may choose to replace their first name, their last name, or both with an initial.
Consent to Release Full Name. The attorney being reviewed will receive the reviewer’s full name, as provided by Facebook or LinkedIn. By participating in Justia Reviews, a reviewer consents to Justia sharing their information, including their full name, with the attorney in question. If there is a dispute about the legal services that an attorney provided to a reviewer, Justia may require the reviewer to provide a copy of the retainer agreement or another form of proof of a professional relationship in order to keep the review published.
You may review the Justia Lawyer Directory Terms of Service here for further information.
