AI search for Louisiana law firms

Four rules every Louisiana page has to respect

Rule 7.2(c)(1): nothing false, misleading, or deceptive. A lawyer shall not make or permit a false, misleading, or deceptive communication about the lawyer or the firm's services. An assistant may quote one sentence of your page with nothing around it, so each sentence has to stand on its own.

Rule 7.2(c)(1)(D): results need a disclaimer. A reference or testimonial to past successes or results violates the rule if it lacks a disclaimer such as "Results May Vary" or "Past Results are not a Guarantee of Future Success." Put the qualifier in the same sentence as the result, because an AI answer may lift the result and leave a footer disclaimer behind. More in whether law firms can publish case results online.

Rule 7.2(c)(5): "specialist" and "certified" are different words. Louisiana lets a lawyer say they are a "specialist" or "specialize in" a field, subject to the false and misleading standard. Claiming to be "certified" or "board certified" is allowed only as the subsection permits, which includes certification by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.

Rules 7.2(a) and 7.6(b): required content. Rule 7.2(a)(1) requires the full name of at least one lawyer responsible for the content, and Rule 7.2(a)(2) requires one or more bona fide office locations by city or town. For websites, Rule 7.6(b)(1) requires disclosure of all jurisdictions where the lawyer or firm members are licensed, and Rule 7.6(b)(2) a bona fide office location.

Filing and review

Louisiana runs a filing program. Under Rule 7.7(c), a non-exempt advertisement must be filed with the LSBA either before or at the same time as its first dissemination, with the fee set by the Supreme Court of Louisiana, and Rule 7.7(e) says the review is generally completed within thirty days. Rule 7.2(a)(3) requires the filing number to appear on advertisements that are not exempt.

Your website is the main exception. Rule 7.8(g) exempts computer-accessed communications described in Rule 7.6(b), which covers websites and home pages. The LSBA notes that exempt material must still comply with the rules. The full text is in the LSBA's lawyer advertising rules, with amendments through January 1, 2022.

What the Supreme Court of Louisiana has said about AI

On January 22, 2024, the Court's General Counsel wrote to the LSBA president on behalf of the Justices in a letter titled "Re: The Emergence of Artificial Intelligence." The Supreme Court of Louisiana letter on AI says the existing ethical and professional rules are broad enough to cover AI in its current forms, that lawyers remain responsible for their work product, and that the Court will monitor developments and may change rules later.

The letter does not mention advertising. Your pages answer to the advertising rules whoever drafts them. For how the advertising rules reach AI-drafted copy, see whether advertising rules apply to AI-generated content.

Louisiana questions need Louisiana answers

Louisiana is a civil law state, and its estate vocabulary is its own. The process is a succession, and under Code of Civil Procedure article 2811 a succession is opened in the district court of the parish where the deceased was domiciled. Article 3431 lets some small successions skip a court opening entirely.

A page that tells a Louisiana family to "go to probate court in your county" gets the court, the unit of government, and the vocabulary wrong, and an assistant that quotes it repeats all three.

Louisiana markets

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

• New Orleans

In New Orleans, successions and domestic matters run through dedicated dockets at the Civil District Court, while Jefferson Parish has its own district court.

What we build for Louisiana firms

• Practice-area pages that list your licensed jurisdictions and office location, as Rule 7.6(b) requires
• Results language with the disclaimer in the same sentence, not only in a footer
• Parish pages that name the district court that actually hears each matter

For estate planning firms, succession vocabulary comes first. For personal injury firms, Rule 7.2(c)(1)(D) shapes every result you mention. For family law firms, the parish decides the court and docket.

Neighboring states

Rule 7.6(b)(1) already requires your website to list where your attorneys are licensed. Pages for clients across a state line should also say which state's law they explain. The Texas guide, Mississippi guide, and Arkansas guide cover how those states handle the same questions.

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