The Law Firm SEO Marketing Trend That Could Land You in the Hot Seat (or the Headlines)
Norma Harris, Lawfuel contributor
If you thought the only thing AI was disrupting was your Spotify playlist or your ability to trust that the person you’re texting is actually human, think again. The legal world—usually the tortoise in the tech race—is suddenly sprinting ahead, but not always in the right direction.
Enter the era of AI-generated law firm reviews, where the line between authentic praise and algorithmic flattery is blurrier than the plot of the latest Christopher Nolan movie.
A recent study by Originality.ai found that a jaw-dropping 34.4 percent of law office reviews posted in 2025 are “likely” AI-written, with Boston leading the pack at a whopping 58.3 percen.
Since ChatGPT’s debut in 2022, the surge in AI-generated reviews has clocked in at an astronomical 1,586 percent increase.
In a world where legal services can cost more than a Taylor Swift concert ticket, people rely on reviews to make informed decisions. But if those reviews are crafted by AI with all the sincerity of a reality TV confession, are clients really getting the truth, or just a well-polished simulation?
Posting fake reviews, wether AI-generated or otherwise, can land lawyers in hot water.
Major issues they face include those from state consumer protection laws, disciplinary action under professional conduct rules and the very real possibility of losing your law license.
As Professor Peter Margulies put it, this isn’t just a minor infraction, it’s a “festival” of ethical violations, with potential penalties ranging from public reprimand to full-on disbarment.
And if you think enforcement is all bark and no bite, think again. The Federal Trade Commission has entered the chat, rolling out a rule in 2024 that slaps a $51,744 penalty on each fake review—enough to make even the most tech-savvy firm reconsider their marketing strategy.
State laws like Massachusetts’ Chapter 93A and Rhode Island’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act add even more legal landmines to the field.
AI detection tools, like those from Originality.ai, can flag suspicious reviews, but even the best tech can’t always tell who’s behind the curtain or what their intent was.
And while some “tells” are obvious—think over-polished language, generic praise, or stray asterisks—others are as subtle as a Marvel post-credits scene. Investigators may have to rely on digital breadcrumbs like IP logs and timestamps to unmask the real authors.
Still, not everyone’s convinced we’re living in a world of widespread AI fakery. Some lawyers are skeptical, suggesting that while the risk is real, the evidence of rampant, intentional misconduct is thin—at least for now.
Law firms tempted to juice their reputations with AI-generated reviews are playing a dangerous game of legal Jenga.
One wrong move, and the whole tower comes crashing down—ethics, reputation, and maybe even your license with it. In the words of one Boston litigator: “You lose your license for that. Is that to say it hasn’t happened? It probably has. And it’s probably happened in every state”.
In the age of AI, even the law isn’t immune to a little artificial sweetening. And if you’re a law firm thinking about letting a bot do your bragging, consider this your spoiler alert—because in the courtroom of public opinion (and the actual courtroom), authenticity still rules.
