AI search for Virginia law firms

Four points every Virginia page has to respect

One rule, not four. Rule 7.1 says a lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services, including by omitting a fact needed to keep a statement from misleading. Since amendments effective July 1, 2017, Rules 7.2, 7.4, and 7.5 are deleted, so topics other states spread across several rules sit in Rule 7.1 and its comments.

Results and disclaimers. Comment [2] to Rule 7.1 says a truthful report of past results can still mislead if it leads a reasonable person to form an unjustified expectation, and that an appropriate disclaimer or qualifying language may preclude a finding that it misleads. An AI answer that lifts the figure and leaves the disclaimer behind is the version a reader sees, so results and qualifiers belong in the same sentence.

Specialist claims. Comment [4] lets a lawyer who is a specialist by experience, training, education, or certification by a named organization say so, as long as the statement is not false or misleading. The ABA lists Virginia as recognizing ABA-accredited private certification programs rather than running its own. Our answer on calling yourself a specialist online compares the approaches.

Targeted solicitations. Rule 7.3(c) requires written, recorded, or electronic solicitations aimed at a specific person known to need legal services in a particular matter to carry the words "ADVERTISING MATERIAL," with listed exceptions. A practice page is not one, but an email to a named prospect can be.

Filing and review

Neither Rule 7.1 nor Rule 7.3 requires a Virginia firm to file its website or advertisements with the bar for review. The responsibility sits with the lawyer, which is why an attorney at the firm approves every page we deliver.

What the Virginia State Bar has said about AI

The Supreme Court of Virginia approved Legal Ethics Opinion 1901, "Reasonable Fees and the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence," by order entered November 24, 2025, effective immediately. It applies the Rule 1.5 reasonableness factors to AI-assisted work: reduced time does not automatically require a reduced fee, and a fee based on value rather than time must be adequately explained to the client.

In May 2026 the Bar's Legal Ethics Committee also sought comment on proposed LEO 1902, on duties when opposing counsel files AI-generated misstatements. Neither opinion addresses marketing, so your pages answer to Rule 7.1 whoever drafts them. For the national picture, see which states have issued AI ethics opinions.

Virginia questions need Virginia answers

Virginia has independent cities, and that changes which court a reader needs. Va. Code 17.1-500 establishes a circuit court for each county and for listed cities, Richmond and Virginia Beach among them. Under Va. Code 64.2-443, a will is probated in the circuit court of the county or city where the decedent had a known place of residence, and Va. Code 64.2-444 lets that court's clerk admit wills to probate.

Henrico County borders the City of Richmond, yet a Henrico estate goes to the Henrico County Circuit Court. A page that says "file in Richmond" sends that family to the wrong clerk, and an AI answer repeats the error.

Virginia markets

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

• Richmond
• Virginia Beach

In Richmond, the line runs between the city and neighboring counties with their own courts. In Virginia Beach, it runs between neighboring cities, each with its own circuit court.

What we build for Virginia firms

• Practice-area pages written to Rule 7.1, with results and qualifiers kept in the same sentence
• Locality pages that name the right circuit court for each city or county you serve
• Answer posts for the questions Virginia clients ask, each linked to the right practice page

For estate planning firms, the probate venue rule decides which clerk a page names. For family law firms, divorce is a circuit court matter, so the locality question carries over. For personal injury firms, the circuit court shares authority with the general district court over injury claims up to $50,000, a detail national pages skip.

Neighboring states

If you take clients from across a state line, each page should say which state's law it explains and where your attorneys are licensed. The North Carolina guide and Tennessee guide show how those rules differ from Virginia's.

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