Family law ad rules in Florida

What are the key facts for family law 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.

Divorce is a named sensitive category, so ads cannot imply that the viewer is going through one.

How does Florida sit on the basics a family law 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

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 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 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 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.
• The Florida Bar, Professional Ethics Committee, opinion 21-1 (2021-06-10), on responding to negative online reviews posted by non-clients: When a non-client posts a negative review, the lawyer may say the poster is not a client and the review is inaccurate, without revealing client information. What to do: If a stranger reviews you, you may say they were never your client; do not discuss any real client matter.
• The Florida Bar, Professional Ethics Committee, opinion 20-1 (2020-10-09), on responding to a negative online review by a former client: A lawyer may not reveal client information when answering a negative online review, but may say the review is not fair or accurate and that the lawyer cannot respond fully. What to do: Answer bad reviews only with a short, general statement and never reveal client details.

Which Google, Local Services and Meta policies matter for family law ads?

• Google Ads: Personalized advertising: Relationship hardships. Divorce services are a named example of a sensitive interest category, so family-law ads can't use advertiser-curated audiences such as Customer Match, remarketing or lookalike segments.
• Google Ads: Personalized advertising: Abuse and trauma. A person's status as a victim of abuse, crime or another traumatic event is a sensitive interest category. Google's examples are domestic abuse shelters and victim advocate services.
• 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 family law 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 family law ad runs, and ask your attorney to approve each ad.
• Plan each family law 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 family law ads in Florida

Does a family law 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.

What must a family law ad say in Florida?

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.

Can a family law 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 family law 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.