AI search for Alabama law firms

What changed on January 1, 2026

By order of May 13, 2025, the Supreme Court of Alabama amended Rules 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3, effective January 1, 2026. The comment to Rule 7.2 says lawyer and law firm websites, social media pages, and professional networking sites are subject to the rule.

Two changes matter most for websites. Rule 7.2 no longer requires a general disclaimer on every communication, and the old duty to submit ads to the Office of General Counsel within three days is gone: under Rule 7.2(a), you keep a copy for six years after dissemination and provide it promptly if the Office of General Counsel asks.

Five rules every Alabama page has to respect

Rule 7.1(b) and (c): expectations and comparisons. A communication is misleading if it is likely to create an unjustified expectation about results, or compares your services with other lawyers' services except as Rule 7.4 provides. The comment to Rule 7.2 says calling yourself the "best," "most experienced," or "number one" violates the rule if it cannot be objectively verified.

Rule 7.2(m): past results. A specific result must come with a description of the type of case, must be objectively verifiable, and must not be presented in a misleading way. The comment flags omissions such as a default judgment, an uncollected verdict, or a result obtained outside Alabama. An AI answer may quote the number alone, so the case type belongs in the same sentence.

Rule 7.2(l) and (b): testimonials, office, and license. A testimonial must come from someone with personal, real, and direct legal experience with you, with any compensation disclosed plainly and prominently. If a lawyer is identified, the page must give the city, town, county, or location of a bona fide office of at least one of them. A lawyer not licensed in Alabama, or a firm without an Alabama office, must clearly and prominently say so.

Certification and required wording. Rule 7.1(d) bars communicating certification by a certifying organization except as Rule 7.4 allows, and the ABA notes that Rule 7.4(c) requires an organization approved by the Alabama State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, named in the communication. If most cases of an advertised type are referred out, Rule 7.2(j) requires the exact statement "MOST CASES OF THIS TYPE ARE NOT HANDLED BY THIS LAWYER/FIRM BUT ARE REFERRED TO OTHER ATTORNEYS" or its alternative. More in our answer on calling yourself a specialist online.

What the Alabama State Bar has said about AI

The Alabama State Bar's formal opinions index lists Formal Opinion 2026-01, "Artificial Intelligence Use: Best Practices Under Existing Professional Conduct Rules", issued in 2026. It says competence means understanding what a tool does and how it fails, that output must be verified before filing, that client data needs protection, that firms need written AI policies and attorney review, and that lawyers may bill only for time actually spent.

It does not address the advertising rules. It does warn firms not to market AI tools in a way that suggests the software itself is the lawyer, and it treats a website chatbot that answers legal questions without attorney review as an unauthorized practice risk. See whether advertising rules apply to AI-generated content.

Alabama questions need Alabama answers

Estate work in Alabama runs through the county probate court, and the details are local. The Jefferson County Probate Court says most wills there are admitted without a hearing when the proper petitions and waivers are filed, and that an estate must stay open at least six months. It also notes that under Act 2019-489, effective September 1, 2019, the person opening an estate must notify the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

A national page that skips the Medicaid notice leaves out a step the court itself flags, and an assistant will repeat the gap.

Alabama markets

Market guides cover the courts, communities, and questions specific to each area:

• Birmingham

In Birmingham, the work runs through Jefferson County's two divisions, Birmingham and Bessemer, each with its own courthouse.

What we build for Alabama firms

• Practice-area pages written to the 2026 rules, with results tied to the type of case and the office location stated
• County pages that name the probate court and circuit court division for the places you serve
• Dated page copies, so the six-year retention duty in Rule 7.2(a) is easy to meet

For estate planning firms, the probate court steps above come first. For elder law firms, the Medicaid notice on opening an estate is a local detail clients will not find on a national page. For personal injury firms, Rule 7.2(m) on results and Rule 7.3(b)(1), which bars targeted solicitation within 21 days of the event, shape both pages and follow-up.

Neighboring states

If your firm takes clients from across a state line, each page should say which state's law it explains, and Rule 7.2(b) requires a clear statement when an identified lawyer is not licensed in Alabama. See the Tennessee guide, Georgia guide, Florida guide, and Mississippi guide for how those rules compare.

Keep reading