AI search for Maryland law firms

Four rules every Maryland page has to respect

Rule 19-307.1: nothing false or misleading. An attorney shall not make a false or misleading communication about the attorney or the attorney's services. Section (a) covers misstatements and misleading omissions, (b) statements likely to create an unjustified expectation about results, and (c) comparisons that cannot be factually substantiated.

Results and testimonials. Comment [2] to Rule 19-307.1 treats a record of favorable outcomes as misleading unless it says, expressly and conspicuously, that each case is different and that past results do not assure future success. It treats an endorsement from anyone other than a bona fide client who benefited as misleading too. An AI answer may lift the verdict alone, so keep the caveat in the same sentence.

Rule 19-307.2: a name, records, and fee wording. Section (d) requires the name of at least one attorney responsible for the content. Section (b) requires a copy of each advertisement to be kept at least three years after its last dissemination. Section (e) requires a no-fee ad to say whether the client pays expenses.

Rule 19-307.4: fields of practice. An attorney may say the attorney does or does not practice in particular fields, and a USPTO-admitted attorney may use "Patent Attorney." The ABA's Maryland certification page lists no state certification program and describes Maryland's rules as barring attorneys from holding themselves out as specialists. Our answer on calling yourself a specialist online compares the states.

Filing and review

Comment [6] to Rule 19-307.2 says the rule does not require advertising to be reviewed before dissemination. Section (f) makes each attorney personally responsible for compliance and ready to substantiate it. An attorney at the firm approves every page we deliver.

Where Maryland lawyers should look for AI guidance

The Maryland State Bar Association's AI ethics resource hub points lawyers to ABA Formal Opinion 512, released July 29, 2024, and to an overview from its AI and Legal Technology Task Force. The hub names no Maryland ethics opinion on AI, so Opinion 512 is the reference point. None of that changes the advertising rules: whoever drafts a page, Rule 19-307.1 governs it. Our answer on whether lawyers can use AI to write website content covers the practical side.

Maryland questions need Maryland answers

Maryland estates run through two offices, not one probate court. According to the Registers of Wills of Maryland, an elected Register of Wills in each county and Baltimore City appoints personal representatives and oversees administration, and the original will is filed with the Register in the county where the decedent was domiciled. Each of Maryland's 24 jurisdictions also has an Orphans' Court, which conducts judicial probate when an estate cannot be handled administratively and approves accounts and attorney's fees.

In Harford, Howard, and Montgomery Counties, a judge of the circuit court sits as the Orphans' Court. The Orphans' Court cannot decide legal title to assets; that goes to the circuit court. A small estate is one with probate assets of $50,000 or less, or $100,000 when the surviving spouse is the sole legatee or heir. A page that says "file in probate court" names an office Maryland families will not find.

Maryland markets

Maryland has a circuit court in each of its 23 counties and in Baltimore City, grouped into eight judicial circuits. Market guides cover each area's courts and questions:

• Baltimore

Baltimore City is not part of Baltimore County: the city has its own circuit court, Orphans' Court, and Register of Wills downtown, while the county's sit in Towson.

What we build for Maryland firms

• Practice-area pages written to Rule 19-307.1, with each result and its required caveat in the same sentence
• County pages that name the right Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, and circuit court for each jurisdiction you serve
• Dated page versions, so the three-year advertising record under Rule 19-307.2(b) is easy to keep

For estate planning firms, the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court split comes first. For elder law firms, the small estate thresholds shape the answers families need. For personal injury firms, Rule 19-307.2(e) means a "no fee unless we win" line must also address expenses.

Neighboring states

If you take clients from across a state or district line, say which jurisdiction's law each page explains and where your attorneys are licensed. See the District of Columbia guide, the Virginia guide, the Delaware guide, and the Pennsylvania guide for how those rules differ from Maryland's.

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