Law Firm Review Removal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Google business profiles drive most first calls, especially for personal injury, criminal defense and family law. Avvo and Justia carry attorney-specific profiles, Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com add peer and client ratings, and Yelp still surfaces for smaller firms. A practice near the Criminal Justice Center competes for very different searches than a Main Line estate planning firm or a South Philadelphia immigration office.

Opposing parties are a recurring problem in this market. In custody, landlord-tenant and injury cases, the person who lost sometimes reviews the winning side's attorney. Platforms generally do not allow reviews from people who were never the lawyer's client when the post is really about the opposing case.

The Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, codified at 42 Pa.C.S. sections 8340.11 through 8340.18 and enacted July 17, 2024, lets a person sued over protected expression seek early dismissal and, in many cases, recover fees. Lawyers know this better than most, and it is a strong reason to pursue platform removal before any defamation claim.

Federal rules shape how firms collect reviews. The Consumer Review Fairness Act, 15 U.S.C. 45b, makes engagement-letter clauses that bar client reviews unenforceable, and the FTC's 16 CFR Part 465 forbids fake or paid testimonials. Pennsylvania's professional conduct rules on client confidentiality also limit what an attorney says in reply. This overview is not legal advice for your firm.

Many Philadelphia firms share partner surnames or similar trade names, and Avvo profiles sometimes merge or mislabel attorneys. A client who hired one lawyer named Murphy may review a different one. Clear evidence that the post concerns someone else is among the strongest removal grounds we see.

Referral chains cause a similar issue. A caller who was turned away, referred to another firm, or never signed an engagement letter sometimes posts as though they were a client. Whether that qualifies depends on the platform. Google allows reviews of any interaction with a business, while attorney directories often expect an actual client relationship.

Reportable posts include reviews from opposing parties or their relatives, competitors, former staff, people who never contacted the firm, and posts containing threats, slurs or confidential information about other clients. Incentivized reviews and duplicates also break most policies.

A former client who says the lawyer was slow to return calls or lost a case they expected to win is usually within their rights. We do not promise removal of genuine criticism. When grounds exist, most Google removals take 7-21 days. Before filing, we confirm the reviewer's relationship to the firm using only public information.