Legal Content Marketing: What a Law Firm Should Publish (and What to Leave Out)

A law firm should publish content that answers the exact questions people ask before they hire a lawyer: what happens next, what it costs, how long it takes and what they should do right now. The best formats are FAQ pages, step-by-step process pages, plain-English guides to the law in your state, and short attorney videos. Each piece should be accurate, written or reviewed by a lawyer, and free of anything a reader could mistake for advice on their own case.

That last point matters more for lawyers than for almost any other business. Legal content touches people's money, freedom and families, and your bar's advertising and confidentiality rules apply to what you post. This guide covers what to publish, what to skip and how to keep it compliant.

It is part of our Law Firm Marketing Guide, which walks you from the basics to hiring help.

Why content matters for a law firm

Most people do not know the words lawyers use. They search "what happens after a DUI arrest in Michigan" or "can my ex move out of state with our kids." If your site answers that question clearly, you earn their attention at the moment they are worried and looking.

Good content does three jobs at once:

1. It helps you get found. Search engines and AI tools need pages that match real questions.
2. It builds trust. A clear, calm explanation shows a reader how you think before they ever meet you.
3. It filters leads. A page that explains who you help, and who you do not, saves your intake team time.

If you want the full funnel view of how content moves a reader from first question to signed case, see funnel content for law firms. This article focuses on the formats themselves.

What to publish: the formats that work

1. FAQ pages built from real questions

Start with the questions your intake staff hear every week. Write each as a heading and answer it in two to four short paragraphs. Group them by practice area.

• Do this: "How long does a car accident claim take in Texas?" with a plain answer about the stages and what affects timing.
• Not this: "Everything you need to know about personal injury," which tries to cover everything and answers nothing.

2. Process pages ("what happens next")

People hire lawyers when they feel lost. A page that lays out the steps of a case, from first call to resolution, reduces that fear. Use a numbered list. Say what the client does at each step and what your firm does.

Process pages also pair well with your practice area pages, which explain what you handle and where.

3. Plain-English guides to your state's law

A guide to "how child custody works in Florida" or "what probate looks like in California" is useful because the law differs by state. Name the statute or court rule when you rely on one, and link to the official source. State the date you last reviewed it.

4. Cost and fee explainers

Readers want to know how fees work. You can explain the fee structures your firm uses, such as hourly, flat or contingency, and what affects the total. Check your state's rules first. For example, the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 7.02(c)) say an advertisement that mentions contingent fees must state whether the client will owe other expenses, such as litigation costs.

5. Attorney videos

Short videos where a lawyer answers one question work well on your site and on YouTube. Keep them simple. If you use actors or reenactments, check your rules: Florida's Rule 4-7.13 lists an undisclosed dramatization and an actor who could be mistaken for the advertising lawyer as examples of deceptive advertising unless a clear disclaimer is shown. We cover this further in video marketing for law firms.

6. Attorney bios with real credentials

Bios are content too. List bar admissions, years in practice, courts you appear in and certifications, named accurately. Our guide to attorney bios and bar credentials goes deeper.

What to leave out

Some content creates more risk than value. Skip or rework these:

Confidentiality is the big one

The ABA's Formal Opinion 480, issued in March 2018, addresses lawyer blogging and other public commentary. Its summary says lawyers "may not reveal information relating to a representation, including information contained in a public record, unless authorized by a provision of the Model Rules." That means a "recent win" post can be a problem even if the verdict is public.

Past results need context

Comment [3] to ABA Model Rule 7.1 says a truthful report of a lawyer's results may still mislead if it leads a reasonable person to expect the same result without regard to the facts of their own case. Some states go further. Our article on lawyer advertising rules for websites compares Texas, Florida and New York.

Information, not advice

Your content should explain the law in general terms. It should not tell a specific reader what to do in their specific case.

New York says this directly. New York Rule 7.1(r) allows a lawyer to "speak publicly or write for publication on legal topics so long as the lawyer does not undertake to give individual advice."

The ABA rules point the same way for website inquiries. Comment [2] to Model Rule 1.18 says a person who contacts a lawyer after reading advertising that "provides legal information of general interest" is generally not a prospective client. Inviting detailed case facts without clear warnings can change that.

Practical habits that help:

• End each guide with "This is general information, not legal advice for your situation," in one plain sentence.
• Turn reader comments off, or moderate them and never answer case questions publicly.
• Send readers to a contact page with a short, clear disclaimer instead of inviting them to post their facts.

YMYL: why accuracy and authorship count double

Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines (September 2025 version) define "Your Money or Your Life" topics as those that could significantly affect a person's health, financial stability or safety, or the welfare of society. Many legal topics fit that description. The same guidelines tell raters to expect reputation information for professionals "such as lawyers and doctors."

Google's own guide to creating helpful, reliable, people-first content says trust is the most important part of E-E-A-T. It encourages accurate bylines where readers expect them and asks whether any use of AI is clear to visitors.

For a law firm, that translates to:

1. Put a named attorney byline, or "Reviewed by," on every legal guide.
2. Link the byline to a bio with bar admissions.
3. Cite statutes, court rules and official sources.
4. Show a "last reviewed" date and update pages when the law changes.

We cover the penalties side of this in YMYL compliance for legal sites.

A simple publishing plan for a small firm

You do not need to post daily. Consistency and quality beat volume.

1. Month 1: Write one FAQ page and one process page for your main practice area.
2. Month 2: Add one state-specific guide and a fees explainer.
3. Month 3: Record three short videos answering your most common questions.
4. Every quarter: Review your top pages for legal changes and update dates.

Keep a simple log of what was published, who reviewed it and when. Some states require you to keep copies of advertising. For example, New York Rule 7.1(k) requires firms to preserve a copy of covered website content at launch, after major changes, and at least every 90 days.

Advertising rules vary by state, so confirm the details with your state bar or ethics counsel.

Next step

Once you know what to publish, the next question is whether content and SEO or paid ads should get your budget first. Read law firm SEO vs PPC to compare them. Or get a free 20–30 page website audit within 24 hours to see which content gaps your site has now.

Frequently asked questions