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Four rules every Ohio page has to respect

Rule 7.1 says a lawyer shall not make or use a false, misleading, or nonverifiable communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services. Note the third word: a claim has to be checkable, not only true. A claim such as "the toughest negotiator in Columbus" cannot be checked, so it does not belong on the page, and it reads worse when an assistant quotes it alone.

Rule 7.2(c) requires any communication made under the rule to include the name and office address of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content. Rule 7.2 has no filing or record retention requirement.

Rule 7.4(a) lets you say that you practice in, limit your practice to, or concentrate in particular fields. Rule 7.4(e) bars stating or implying that you are a specialist unless you have been certified as a specialist and the communication clearly identifies the certifying organization. The Supreme Court of Ohio amended the specialization rules in 2024 to let certified attorneys say so.

Testimonials and results. The Board of Professional Conduct's Advisory Opinion 2016-08, issued October 7, 2016, concluded that client testimonials are permitted if they are not false, misleading, or nonverifiable, that a testimonial describing a favorable outcome needs a clear disclaimer, and that a testimonial stating a settlement or verdict amount is inherently misleading even with one. It also advised lawyers to monitor reviews on sites they control. The broader question is answered in whether lawyers can use client testimonials.

What the Board of Professional Conduct has said about AI

We found no numbered Board advisory opinion on artificial intelligence in its opinion database. In 2026, Board staff published "Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers and Judicial Officers," an Ohio Ethics Guide dated April 2026 that Court News Ohio reported was distributed to lawyers and judges that June. The guide is nonbinding and does not reflect the views of the Board or the Supreme Court.

It says the rules do not prohibit AI use, and that lawyers must understand the tools, verify output against original sources, protect client information, keep their own judgment, bill only for time actually spent, and supervise staff and vendors. On disclosure, it says using AI-generated legal research does not by itself require telling the client, and that disclosure is more likely to be required as AI use affects the representation more. The guide does not address advertising, so Rules 7.1, 7.2, and 7.4 govern your pages whoever drafts them.

Ohio questions need Ohio answers

In Ohio, estates run through the probate court, which R.C. 2101.24(A)(1) gives exclusive jurisdiction, with listed exceptions, to take proof of wills and to direct and control the conduct and settle the accounts of executors and administrators. In Franklin County, for example, that court is the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division.

That differs from neighboring Pennsylvania, where a register of wills handles probate. A page that borrows a national or out-of-state explainer gets the Ohio process wrong. The estate planning guide shows how local accuracy plays out for one practice.

Ohio markets

We write for firms statewide. Columbus firms work across a county of 16 cities, 18 townships, and 9 villages, and each market page is built from its own county's court and municipal facts.

• Columbus
• Cleveland
• Cincinnati

What we build for Ohio firms

• Practice-area pages written to Rules 7.1 and 7.2, with every claim verifiable and the responsible lawyer's office address included
• Specialist and testimonial wording checked against Rule 7.4(e) and Advisory Opinion 2016-08
• County pages only where you take clients, with the probate division and courthouse named correctly

Injury pages are where the "nonverifiable" standard bites hardest, since results language is common; see the personal injury guide. Family law pages need the same county-level care; the family law guide shows the page set.

Neighboring states

Ohio firms near a state line field questions from readers who live under another state's law. A page that serves them should say which state's law it explains and where your attorneys are licensed. See our guides for Pennsylvania firms and Michigan firms.

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