In Jacksonville, ChatGPT named 4 injury firms. Is yours one of them?

Florida requires you to file most online ads with The Florida Bar at least 20 days before first use (your own website and social page are exempt, but banner ads and boosted posts are not), and any targeted ad to accident victims must wait 30 days and start with the word "Advertisement".

Who enforces it

The Florida Bar (Ethics and Advertising Department and the Standing Committee on Advertising), under the Florida Supreme Court

The rules

Rules 4-7.11 to 4-7.22, Rules Regulating The Florida Bar (Handbook on Lawyer Advertising and Solicitation, 13th ed., effective Dec. 10, 2025)

Filing or review

Yes. TV, radio, print and internet ads (but not your own website or your own social media page) must be filed with the Bar at least 20 days before first use, unless they contain only basic presumptively valid content (Rule 4-7.16). Unsolicited direct mail, email, text and targeted social media ads must always be filed, and paid, boosted or sponsored social posts must be filed. The fee is $150 per ad filed on time and $250 if late, and the Bar answers within 15 days of a complete filing. Filing page

Required labels

Every ad must show the lawyer or firm name and the city, town or county of a bona fide office, with a referral disclosure if the case will go to another firm (Rule 4-7.12). Unsolicited direct mail must be marked "Advertisement" on the envelope and enclosures. Email, text and targeted social media ads must start with the word "Advertisement" (Rule 4-7.18(b)(2)(B)). A testimonial that mentions results needs a clear disclaimer that clients may not get the same results. Dramatizations, actors and non-employee voices need disclaimers.

Contacting accident victims

30 days after the injury, death, accident or disaster for unsolicited direct mail, email, text and targeted social media communications about personal injury or wrongful death (Rule 4-7.18(b)(1)(A)).

Testimonials, results, specialist

Testimonials are banned unless the speaker is qualified to judge the lawyer, it reflects real experience and what clients generally experience, the lawyer did not write it, nothing of value was given for it, and the client consented (Rule 4-7.13(b)(9)). Past results must be factually verifiable. Comparisons and characterizations must be objectively verifiable. "Specialist" or "expert" is allowed only if objectively verifiable through board certification or education, training and experience; "board certified" only with actual board certification.

Online ads

The Bar's handbook says a lawyer's own website and own social media page are exempt from filing, but banner ads, pop-ups on other sites, ad words that are not plain contact details, and paid or boosted posts must be filed. The Board of Governors ruled that targeted social media ads follow the direct solicitation rules in Rule 4-7.18(b). Ad words that suggest an affiliation with another lawyer searched by name are barred unless clearly labeled (Rule 4-7.13(b)(12)). Advisory Opinion 24-1 says an AI chatbot on a lawyer's site must tell visitors it is AI, the lawyer is responsible for what it says, and the lawyer may not claim better AI than other lawyers' unless objectively verifiable.

ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI accepts US law-firm ads from firms licensed where the ad runs, after business verification and ad review. A ChatGPT ad aimed at Florida needs your Florida license, and it is still lawyer advertising under the rules above.

Sources: www-media.floridabar.org, floridabar.org, floridabar.org. Parts of this summary were read from a published copy of the rules because the official site could not be reached; check the official text before relying on it.

More on how the rules work across states: law firm advertising rules and can lawyers advertise on ChatGPT.