AI search for Michigan law firms

Three rules every Michigan page has to respect

MRPC 7.1 allows public communication that is not false, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive. Under 7.1(a) a communication may not misstate fact or law or leave out a fact needed to keep it from misleading. Under 7.1(b) it may not be likely to create an unjustified expectation about results the lawyer can achieve. Under 7.1(c) it may not compare your services with other lawyers' services unless the comparison can be factually substantiated.

MRPC 7.4 says a lawyer may communicate the fact that the lawyer does or does not practice in particular fields of law. Michigan has no state certification program. State Bar ethics opinion RI-142 (August 25, 1992) concluded that a lawyer certified by the American Bankruptcy Board of Certification could advertise that certification, as long as the claim was accurate under MRPC 7.1. Name the certifying body and claim only what you earned.

MRPC 7.2(d) requires advertising to identify the name and contact information of at least one lawyer responsible for its content. The identification belongs on the advertisement itself, or, where space does not allow, prominently on the home page of the firm's website.

Why this matters more in AI search: an assistant may quote one sentence from your page with nothing around it. "We win cases other firms won't take" reads as marketing on your site. Quoted alone, it is a comparison and a results claim with no context.

Records, not filing

The Michigan rule that shapes day-to-day practice is about records. MRPC 7.2(b) says a copy or recording of an advertisement or communication shall be kept for two years after its last dissemination, along with a record of when and where it was used. For a website, the simplest habit is to keep a dated copy of each page version, with the dates it was live.

What the State Bar has said about AI

The State Bar of Michigan issued ethics opinion JI-155 on October 27, 2023. Its syllabus says judicial officers must maintain competence with advancing technology, including but not limited to artificial intelligence. It is addressed to judges and does not address marketing.

For lawyers' own use of AI, look to ABA Formal Opinion 512, explained in what Opinion 512 means for law firm marketing. Your website is governed by MRPC 7.1 and 7.2 whoever drafts it, which is why every page we deliver is approved by the attorney. The drafting question itself is answered in whether lawyers can use AI to write website content.

Michigan questions need Michigan answers

National content often treats "probate court" and "family court" as interchangeable. Michigan splits them. Under MCL 700.1302(a), the probate court has exclusive jurisdiction over the settlement of a deceased person's estate, including its administration and distribution. Under MCL 600.1021(1), the family division of circuit court has sole and exclusive jurisdiction over divorce and child custody cases.

So a Detroit estate goes to the Wayne County Probate Court, and a Detroit divorce goes to the circuit court's family division. A page that merges them gives an assistant the wrong answer to repeat. The estate planning guide shows how this kind of detail shapes a practice page.

Michigan markets

We write for firms statewide. Market guides cover the questions and local facts specific to each area:

• Detroit

Detroit: Wayne County describes itself as 43 communities, so the city name alone leaves most readers out.

What we build for Michigan firms

• Practice-area pages written to MRPC 7.1 and 7.2, with comparison and results language checked line by line
• County pages only where you take clients, with probate and circuit courts named correctly
• Answer posts for the questions Michigan clients ask, each linked to the right practice page

Practice guides: family law, where the circuit court split matters most, and personal injury, where results language needs the most care.

Neighboring states

Some Michigan firms take clients from across a state line. A page that addresses those readers should say which state's law it explains and where your attorneys are licensed. The Ohio guide covers that state's rules.

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