Site Guidelines

These are the official posting and content guidelines ("Site Guidelines") for the lawyercheck.dev website, application, or other interactive service (the "Site"). The Site is owned, operated, and/or provided by LawyerCheck ("LawyerCheck," "we," "us," or "our"), and these Site Guidelines are part of, and additional terms under, our Terms of Service. These Site Guidelines are the single, authoritative statement of our content and moderation rules.

LawyerCheck is a client-driven destination for people to research and review attorneys across the United States. Our mission is to provide a trustworthy, transparent forum where people can share their real experiences with lawyers to help others make one of the most important decisions they will ever make: who to trust with their legal matter.

We believe in protecting honest reviewer speech. Negative reviews are not removed just because they are negative. At the same time, we remove content that crosses clear lines — such as threats, false statements of fact, harassment, or attempts to manipulate the platform. These Site Guidelines explain where those lines are and how we handle problems.

1. The Site and How Reviews Work

The LawyerCheck website (lawyercheck.dev) and any related applications provide user-generated reviews of attorneys, including ratings across five categories: communication, expertise, value, professionalism, and case outcome. Attorney profiles are populated from publicly available state bar records.

Reviews should only be posted by users who have a genuine, firsthand basis for reviewing the attorney — for example, someone who hired, consulted with, or was represented by the attorney, or another attorney who worked with them professionally (such as opposing or co-counsel). A user is limited to one (1) review per attorney per distinct engagement or matter.

Anonymity.

Reviews are anonymous to the public. We do not display the reviewer's name on the Site. However, every account is verified internally, and we maintain records sufficient to confirm that a reviewer is a real person. This protects honest reviewers from retaliation while allowing us to maintain platform integrity and to respond appropriately to disputes and valid legal process. We do not disclose the identity of a reviewer except as required by valid legal process.

Not for emergencies.

LawyerCheck is NOT the place to report dangerous, illegal, or emergency situations. If you believe you or someone else is in danger, or that a crime has occurred, contact local law enforcement or the appropriate authorities directly. If you have a complaint about an attorney's professional conduct, you may also contact the relevant state bar.

2. How We Moderate

LawyerCheck reviews submitted content against these Site Guidelines. We have defined clear rules to reinforce our mission and, most importantly, to ensure our moderation decisions are consistent, regardless of who the reviewer or attorney is. We remove content that does not comply with these Site Guidelines.

We will never edit a review to make it comply, and we will never remove a review simply because it is a low rating or a negative review. Honest negative reviews are protected and are an essential part of why LawyerCheck exists. A review is removed only if it violates these Site Guidelines.

If you believe a review violates these Site Guidelines, you can flag it using the "Report" link on the review, and it will be escalated to our moderation team for re-review.

3. Reviewer Guidelines

• Be honest in your reviews. People rely on these reviews to make serious decisions, so contribute in that same spirit of honesty and good faith.
• When reviewing an attorney, it is often helpful to share both what went well and what didn't. Balanced reviews are more credible and more useful to others.
• Focus on your actual experience with the attorney and the legal services they provided — their communication, expertise, value, professionalism, and the outcome of your matter.
• Avoid hearsay. Share your individual, firsthand experience. Don't speak on behalf of someone else; encourage them to submit their own review.
• This is not a forum for debate. Reviews that specifically reference or argue with another review may be removed. If you disagree with someone else's experience, share your own instead.
• Not every attorney is the right fit for every client. Explain how the attorney or experience did or didn't work for you in a way that helps others decide for themselves.
• Reviews fueled primarily by anger reflect poorly and may be removed for violations such as profanity or harassment. Take a moment to make sure your review will genuinely help others.
• LawyerCheck reserves the right to remove reviews that contain no substantive comment.
• We allow one review per reviewer per distinct engagement or matter. Spamming, dogpiling, or operating multiple accounts will lead to removal of content and may result in suspension or ban.
• When reading reviews, use your own judgment and weigh each review against the others. Online reviews should be one of several resources you use when choosing an attorney.

4. Prohibited Content

Content that contains any of the following will be removed when identified or reported. Repeated violations can result in suspension or permanent ban.

• False statements of fact. Stating something as fact that is untrue — for example, falsely claiming an attorney stole money, was disbarred, or committed a crime. Honest opinion (such as "I felt my lawyer didn't communicate well") is allowed; false factual claims are not.
• Profanity, name-calling, vulgarity, or derogatory remarks about religion, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, age, or disability.
• Threats, harassment, stalking, intimidation, or any content that threatens violence or harm to any person.
• Hate speech or content that demeans or attacks a person or group based on a protected characteristic.
• Identifiable private information that would allow someone to contact or locate an attorney, reviewer, or third party outside their professional capacity (such as personal home addresses, personal phone numbers, or personal email addresses).
• References to an attorney's or any person's family, personal life, or sex life, including sexual innuendo.
• Confidential or privileged information about your legal matter, including settlement amounts subject to confidentiality, privileged communications, or information identifying opposing parties, witnesses, or other clients.
• Personal information about third parties, such as names or contact details of opposing parties, witnesses, other clients, or staff.
• Claims that an attorney or any person engages or has engaged in illegal activities, where stated as fact rather than as your honest characterization of your own experience.
• Off-topic content — material unrelated to your experience with the attorney, including unrelated political commentary, advertising, or general grievances.
• Fake or manipulated reviews, including reviews by people who did not use the attorney; self-reviews by attorneys; reviews by an attorney's staff, family, or competitors; paid or incentivized reviews; coordinated review campaigns; and reviews from multiple accounts operated by the same person.
• Direct references to other existing reviews, or to reviews removed by our moderators.
• Accusations that an attorney is reviewing themselves or their colleagues (report these to us instead).
• Content in a language other than English.
• Hyperlinks, URLs, spam, or commercial content unrelated to an honest review.
• Impersonation of any person, including pretending to be a client of an attorney you did not actually use, or pretending to be the attorney.
• Sexually explicit content, graphic depictions of violence, or content that is gratuitously disturbing.

5. Reporting and Our Review Process

How to report.

If you see content you believe violates these Site Guidelines, use the "Report" link on the review. A report should include a link to the content, which Guideline you believe is violated, a brief explanation, and any evidence you can provide. Anyone can report content — you do not need to be the attorney being reviewed.

Our process.

When we receive a report, we will:

1. Acknowledge receipt within five (5) business days;
2. Review the reported content against these Site Guidelines;
3. Consider any evidence or context provided by the reporter, as well as the perspective of the reviewer who posted the content;
4. Make a moderation decision based on these Site Guidelines; and
5. Communicate the decision to the reporter where appropriate.

Timeline.

Most reports are reviewed within fourteen (14) calendar days. Complex cases — particularly those involving disputed facts, legal threats, or coordinated activity — may take longer, and we will communicate if a decision will take longer than fourteen (14) days.

What we don't remove.

We do not remove content just because someone disagrees with it, finds it embarrassing, or wishes it weren't there. Honest negative reviews — including reviews that are sharply critical or describe a bad experience in detail — remain on the Site as long as they comply with these Site Guidelines. Please do not report a review simply because you disagree with it.

6. Attorney Guidelines and Disputes

For attorneys generally.

• Reviews are anonymous to the public. We cannot provide the name or personal information of a reviewer, except as required by valid legal process.
• Attorney profiles are populated from publicly available state bar records and other public sources. We do not write or endorse reviews; every review is submitted by a member of our community.
• We will not remove a review simply because it is negative. A review is removed only if it violates these Site Guidelines.
• We encourage attorneys to claim their profile and create an account, which lets you post professional public replies and receive alerts when new reviews are posted.
• Replies must be professional, must not disclose confidential client information, and are subject to the same Prohibited Content rules and to your ethical obligations as a licensed attorney.
• Our moderation team cannot prove or disprove the details in a review; we are not arbiters of fact.

Disputing a review.

Attorneys may dispute a review they believe violates these Site Guidelines by submitting a dispute through the form on their profile. A dispute should include your full name as registered with your bar, your bar number and state of licensure, a link to the review, which Guideline you believe it violates, and any supporting documentation (such as court records contradicting a factual claim).

What disputes can and cannot achieve.

Submitting a dispute does not guarantee removal. We review every dispute against these Site Guidelines:

• If the review is honest opinion, even if unflattering, it will remain.
• If the review contains demonstrably false factual claims, it may be edited or removed.
• If the review contains threats, harassment, confidential information, or other prohibited content, it will be removed.

To be clear about what disputes cannot accomplish: we will not remove a review just because it is negative; because an attorney threatens legal action; because the attorney believes the reviewer is wrong; or because the attorney disagrees with the reviewer's interpretation of events. We will not disclose the identity of a reviewer except as required by valid legal process.

Attorney replies.

In addition to disputing, attorneys may post a public reply that appears alongside a review, sharing their perspective. Replies must comply with these Site Guidelines.

Profile removal (opt-out).

Attorneys may request removal of their profile through our opt-out process. We honor profile removal requests, typically within thirty (30) days, and maintain a suppression list so the profile is not re-added. Removing a profile removes the profile and the reviews attached to it together; the opt-out process cannot be used to remove only specific negative reviews while keeping a listing. Underlying public bar records remain public and may appear on other sources.

7. Reviewer Conduct, Consequences, and Appeals

Accurate identity and honesty.

Each account must represent one real person, accurately identified to LawyerCheck (even if anonymous to the public). Every review must reflect your honest, firsthand experience with the attorney. Creating multiple accounts to manipulate ratings or circumvent moderation is prohibited.

Conflicts of interest.

Do not review an attorney if you have a significant conflict of interest, including: you are the attorney; you work for the attorney or their firm; you are an immediate family member; you have a business relationship that benefits if the attorney gets more business or fewer reviews; or you have been paid by anyone to write the review.

Consequences of violations.

Depending on the severity and pattern of violations, consequences may include:

• A warning and removal of the specific content;
• Temporary suspension of your account (typically 7 to 30 days);
• Permanent ban from LawyerCheck;
• Removal of all content you have posted; and
• In serious cases (such as coordinated fraud), referral to law enforcement or the relevant state bar.

Appeals.

If you believe a moderation decision was wrong, you may appeal by contacting us within thirty (30) days of the decision. Appeals will be reviewed by a different person than the original decision-maker where possible. Decisions on appeals are final.

8. Legal Information and Reservation of Rights

Our role and Section 230.

LawyerCheck is a platform for user-generated reviews. Reviews represent the personal opinions and experiences of the individuals who posted them. LawyerCheck does not author reviews, does not pre-screen reviews before they are posted, and does not endorse any specific review or attorney.

LawyerCheck is an interactive computer service under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230), which provides federal immunity against causes of action that would make services like LawyerCheck liable for information originating with a third-party user. LawyerCheck reserves the right (but has no obligation) to moderate content under these Site Guidelines without thereby becoming the publisher of that content. Anyone who pursues legal action over user reviews should be aware that courts may impose penalties — including sanctions and attorneys' fees — for actions that ignore these protections.

Reservation of rights.

LawyerCheck reserves the right to remove any content deemed inappropriate, libelous, defamatory, indecent, vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit, racially or ethnically offensive, harmful, harassing, intimidating, threatening, hateful, discriminatory, abusive, or that appears to impersonate someone else, or that otherwise violates our Terms of Service. We reserve the right to remove, provide to authorities, or otherwise take appropriate action regarding content that threatens violence or bodily harm, including notifying authorities of the IP address (where available) and the time the content was submitted.

Cooperation with legal process.

LawyerCheck cooperates with valid legal process, including subpoenas, court orders, and lawful law enforcement requests. We will not voluntarily disclose user information, including the identity of reviewers, without valid legal process.

These Site Guidelines are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. You are encouraged to seek advice from an attorney competent in the relevant field of law.

Changes.

We may update these Site Guidelines from time to time. When we make material changes, we will provide reasonable notice through the Site. Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance of the updated Site Guidelines.