Criminal defense ad rules in Florida

What are the key facts for criminal defense ads in Florida?

• Ad filing. File at least 20 days before first use. TV, radio, print and internet ads (websites excepted) are filed unless limited to safe-harbor content; direct mail, email, texts and targeted social ads are always filed. A changed ad is a new ad.
• What each ad must include. A lawyer or firm name, plus the city, town or county of a bona fide office (4-7.12(a)). Any fee claim carries the client’s cost responsibility. Nonlawyer voices or images need “Not an employee or member of law firm”; actors and dramatizations need disclaimers.
• Results and “specialist” claims. Past results must be objectively verifiable. Testimonials only from real clients with typical experiences, unpaid and not drafted by the lawyer; results-based testimonials carry “may not obtain same results”; no celebrities. “Specialist” or “expert” only if objectively verifiable; “board certified” only if certified.

Criminal defense is a named sensitive category, so audience tools are limited and no ad should hint that the viewer is accused.

How does Florida sit on the basics a criminal defense firm runs into?

• Ad filing in Florida: Filed before first use
• Call recording in Florida: All-party consent
• Texting law in Florida: State law with private suits
• Privacy law in Florida: Comprehensive law in force

Can a criminal defense firm contact people directly in Florida?

• Written communication about an injury or accident only after 30 days (4-7.18(b)); in-person and phone solicitation are banned.

What have Florida’s ethics opinions said?

• The Florida Bar, Board of Governors (Review Committee on Professional Ethics), opinion 24-1 (2024-01-19), on lawyers’ use of generative artificial intelligence: Lawyers may use generative AI, but a chatbot that talks to prospective clients must follow the advertising rules and say it is an AI program. What to do: Label any website or intake chatbot as AI, keep it from making misleading claims, and do not call your AI superior unless you can prove it.
• The Florida Bar, Standing Committee on Advertising, opinion (2023-08-21), on guidelines for a Lawyer Statement of Qualifications and Experience: Every direct written solicitation must come with a factual statement of the lawyer's experience, including cases tried where relevant, and it must be in the same language as the ad. What to do: Attach a clear statement of your experience, bar admission date and trial count to every direct mail or email solicitation, translated if the ad is not in English.
• The Florida Bar, Standing Committee on Advertising, opinion (2023-08-21), on advertising Guidelines for Networking Sites: Social media used to promote a practice must follow the ad rules; paid or boosted posts must be filed, and targeted posts must meet the solicitation rules. What to do: Treat business social pages as ads, file paid or boosted posts with the Bar, and follow the direct-solicitation rules for targeted posts and invitations.
• The Florida Bar, Standing Committee on Advertising, opinion (2023-08-21), on guidelines for Determining Whether an Advertised Location is a Bona Fide Office: An ad may list only a real office the firm uses regularly; shared or hourly space may be described only as 'available by appointment' or 'for consultation'. What to do: List only staffed, regularly used offices in ads; label virtual or shared spaces 'by appointment only'.
• The Florida Bar, Standing Committee on Advertising, opinion (2023-08-21), on guidelines for Video Sharing Sites: Practice videos on sites like YouTube must follow the ad rules but need not be filed; banner ads there must be filed unless limited to safe-harbor content. What to do: Keep marketing videos accurate and within the ad rules, and file any paid banner ads on video sites with the Bar.

Which Google, Local Services and Meta policies matter for criminal defense ads?

• Google Ads: Other restricted businesses: Bail bond services. Ads for bail bond services are not allowed. Google's examples include immigration bail services and detention bail services.
• Google Ads: Personalized advertising: Commission of a crime. Criminal defense lawyers are a named example of a sensitive interest category. Their ads can't use advertiser-curated audiences: Customer Match, your data segments (remarketing), audience expansion or lookalike segments. Google's own audiences (in-market, affinity, life events) are allowed.
• Local Services Ads: Local Services Ads: service categories (US). Google's US list has 17 lawyer categories: bankruptcy, business, contract, criminal, disability, DUI, estate, family, immigration, IP, labor, litigation, malpractice, personal injury, real estate, traffic, and a general 'Lawyers' category. Unlike some other categories, none of the lawyer categories is limited to certain states.
• Meta: Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes. Meta ads can't assert or imply that the viewer has a personal attribute, including a health condition, disability, vulnerable financial status or criminal record. Meta's own 'not allowed' examples include 'Are you bankrupt?' and 'Are you a convicted felon?'.

The full list for every platform is in the ad platform policy tracker.

What else in Florida touches criminal defense marketing?

• Call recording. All-party consent: everyone on the call must agree to a recording (Fla.

How much Spanish-speaking demand is there in Florida?

• Florida: about 4,801,213 (±17,102) people aged 5 and over who speak Spanish at home. ACS 2020-2024 survey estimate.
• Florida: about 2,076,728 (±17,397) Spanish speakers aged 5 and over who speak English less than "very well". ACS 2020-2024 survey estimate.
• Florida: about 159 (±15.8) Spanish speakers with limited English (less than "very well") for every Spanish-speaking lawyer, judge or judicial worker. ACS 2020-2024 survey estimate.

Test Spanish pages and ads next to English ones.

Which Florida metros do we cover?

Each metro page covers how clients there find a lawyer, what AI answers show and the local courts:

• Orlando law firm SEO, AI search and Google AdsOrlando clients and visitors, theme-park and tourism searches, Spanish demand, Middle District venue and Florida Bar ad filing for any firm size.
• Tampa Bay law firm SEO, AI search and Google AdsHow Tampa Bay clients find a lawyer, two-sided local search across the bay, Middle District venue and Florida Bar ad filing for any firm size.
• Jacksonville law firm SEO, AI search and Google AdsHow Jacksonville clients find a lawyer, a Navy and port economy, Spanish demand, Middle District venue and Florida Bar ad filing for any firm size.
• Miami law firm SEO, AI search and Google AdsMiami and South Florida clients, Spanish-first search, Southern District venue and Florida Bar ad filing for law firms of any size.

What does this mean for your firm?

• Check the Florida filing duty before the first criminal defense ad runs, and ask your attorney to approve each ad.
• Plan each criminal defense campaign around the platform’s own policies, so ads are not disapproved after launch.
• Test Spanish and English side by side where the Spanish-speaking audience is large.

Not legal advice. Probative Growth is a marketing firm, not a law firm. Rules change; your attorney decides what runs.

Questions firms ask about criminal defense ads in Florida

Does a criminal defense firm have to file its ads in Florida?

File at least 20 days before first use. TV, radio, print and internet ads (websites excepted) are filed unless limited to safe-harbor content; direct mail, email, texts and targeted social ads are always filed.

Can a criminal defense firm contact people directly in Florida?

Written communication about an injury or accident only after 30 days (4-7.18(b)); in-person and phone solicitation are banned.

Can a criminal defense firm in Florida run Local Services Ads?

Google's US list has 17 lawyer categories: bankruptcy, business, contract, criminal, disability, DUI, estate, family, immigration, IP, labor, litigation, malpractice, personal injury, real estate, traffic, and a general 'Lawyers' category. Unlike some other categories, none of the lawyer categories is limited to certain states.

How much Spanish-speaking demand should a criminal defense firm plan for in Florida?

Florida: about 4,801,213 (±17,102) people aged 5 and over who speak Spanish at home. ACS 2020-2024 survey estimate.