This guide applies AI search for law firms to the District of Columbia: the two rules that govern your pages, what the D.C. Bar has said about AI, and the probate procedure national content gets wrong.
Four points every D.C. page has to respect
Rule 7.1(a): true and provable. D.C. Rule 7.1 says a lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services. Under (a)(2), that includes any assertion about the lawyer or the lawyer's services that cannot be substantiated, so every claim should be one you can back up.
Results and testimonials. Comment [1] says past results, verdicts, damage amounts, and testimonials can mislead unless suitably qualified. An assistant may quote the result alone, so the qualification belongs in the same sentence.
No separate specialist rule. The D.C. Bar's rules index marks Rules 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 as not contained in the District of Columbia Rules, so there is no D.C. counterpart to the certification rules other states use. A claim to be a specialist is still an assertion under Rule 7.1(a)(2), so it needs a basis you can substantiate, such as a named certification.
Rule 7.5(b): show where each lawyer is licensed. A firm with offices in more than one jurisdiction may use the same name in each, but lawyers listed at an office must show the jurisdictional limitations of those not licensed to practice where that office sits. For firms whose attorneys split admissions among D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, attorney bios and office pages are where this rule bites.
Filing and review
Neither Rule 7.1 nor Rule 7.5 requires a D.C. lawyer to file a website or advertisement with the Bar for review before it runs. Responsibility sits with the lawyer, which is why an attorney at the firm approves every page we deliver.
What the D.C. Bar has said about AI
D.C. Bar Ethics Opinion 388, "Attorneys' Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Client Matters," was published in April 2024. It says competence includes understanding the technology's risks, including fabricated citations, and verifying output. It asks lawyers to check whether a provider stores or trains on client inputs, to supervise AI use under Rules 5.1 and 5.3, and to avoid AI-generated misstatements to a tribunal. On fees, a lawyer billing hourly can bill only for time actually spent.
The opinion does not address marketing. Your pages answer to Rules 7.1 and 7.5 whoever drafts them. For how other jurisdictions compare, see which states have issued AI ethics opinions.
D.C. questions need D.C. answers
The District has no counties and no separate probate court. Under D.C. Code 11-921, the Superior Court has jurisdiction of any civil action or other matter brought in the District, and subsection (a)(5) brings in probate matters, including the jurisdiction once held by the former Orphans Court. Under D.C. Code 11-2104, the Register of Wills takes probate of wills and keeps the court's probate records.
In practice, that means the Superior Court's Probate Division, in Court Building A at 515 Fifth Street NW, Third Floor, which handles wills, small and large estates, guardianship of minors' estates, and adult guardianship. A page that sends a D.C. family to a county register borrows Maryland's structure.
Where D.C. legal work concentrates
D.C. is one jurisdiction with one trial court, so the location question that shapes pages in other states mostly disappears. What replaces it is the line between D.C. and its neighbors. Your page should say which jurisdiction's law it explains, which court hears the matter, and which attorneys are admitted there.
What we build for D.C. firms
- Practice-area pages written to Rule 7.1, with every claim one your firm can substantiate
- Attorney bios and office pages that show each lawyer's admissions, as Rule 7.5(b) requires
- Probate and guardianship content that names the Superior Court's Probate Division and the Register of Wills
For estate planning firms, the Probate Division and Register of Wills are the first facts to get right. For elder law firms, adult guardianship runs through the same division, a detail national pages skip. For criminal defense firms, Rule 7.1(e) bars soliciting paid representation in the D.C. Courthouse, on its adjacent sidewalks, and within 50 feet of the building, so outreach plans need the same care as the pages.
Neighboring states
If your firm serves clients across the District line, the Maryland guide and the Virginia guide show how those rules and courts differ from D.C.'s.
Common questions
Can a D.C. lawyer call themselves a specialist?
D.C. has no Rule 7.4, so the test is Rule 7.1(a): the claim must not be false or misleading and must be one you can substantiate. Naming the certifying organization, where one exists, is the safer route.
Do D.C. attorney bios have to say where each lawyer is licensed?
Rule 7.5(b) requires lawyers listed at an office of a multi-jurisdiction firm to show the jurisdictional limitations of those not licensed where that office sits. Bios that list each lawyer's admissions meet that plainly.
Does Opinion 388 require firms to disclose AI use in marketing copy?
No. Opinion 388 addresses AI in client matters, not marketing. Rule 7.1 governs your website: every claim must be accurate and capable of substantiation, whoever drafted it.
Keep reading
Sources
- D.C. Bar, Rule 7.1, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services (linked above)
- D.C. Bar, Rules of Professional Conduct index (Rules 7.2 to 7.4 not contained in D.C. Rules)
- D.C. Bar, Rule 7.5, Firm Names and Letterheads
- D.C. Bar Ethics Opinion 388, Attorneys' Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Client Matters (published April 2024) (linked above)
- D.C. Code 11-921, civil jurisdiction of the Superior Court (linked above)
- D.C. Code 11-2104, Register of Wills powers and duties
- D.C. Courts, Probate Self-Help Center and Probate Division