In 2026, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal made two decisions about law firm advertising. One principal was fined $30,000 and publicly reprimanded over "No Win, No Fee" advertising, including on the firm's website and social media. Another was publicly reprimanded over promotional statements on his firm's website.
The message is clear. Regulators are reading law firm websites, and the rules apply to every page.
I'm an SEO consultant, not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice. But I work with law firms on their websites, and the rules shape what good legal marketing looks like in Queensland. Here's what they mean in plain English, and how to build a site that ranks and stays compliant.
Your website is advertising
Rule 36 of the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules covers any advertising, marketing or promotion connected with a solicitor or law practice. That includes your website, your Google Business Profile, directory listings, Google Ads and social media posts.
For personal injury work, the Legal Services Commission goes further. Its guidance indicates a website seen in Queensland can be caught by Queensland's rules, even if the site is hosted or the firm is based elsewhere.
You're responsible for your marketing, even if an agency writes it. So every page, post and ad needs to pass the same test.
Rule 36: nothing false or misleading
The core rule is simple. Your advertising must not be false, misleading or deceptive, or likely to mislead. It also must not be offensive or prohibited by law. The Australian Consumer Law applies too, through Queensland's fair trading laws.
On a website, that means being careful with:
- "Best" and "leading" claims you can't prove.
- Results and success rates. Past outcomes don't guarantee future ones, and selective figures can mislead.
- Awards and rankings. Make sure they're current, accurate and properly described.
- Fee claims. If you mention fixed fees or free consultations, explain any conditions clearly.
- Urgency. Pressure tactics, like "call now before it's too late", can cross the line.
Plain, accurate statements about what you do and how you work are always safer, and they convert well too.
"Specialist", "expert" and accredited specialists
Rule 36 also says a solicitor must not give a false, misleading or deceptive impression of specialist expertise. Only lawyers accredited through a recognised scheme, such as the Queensland Law Society's specialist accreditation, can call themselves accredited specialists.
If you are accredited, the QLS has marketing guidelines for how to describe it. If you're not, describe your experience instead, like "20 years practising family law" or "focuses on commercial leasing".
Be careful with "expert" too. The QLS has guidance on using it, because it can imply specialist expertise.
Personal injury: Queensland's strictest rules
Queensland has strict advertising rules aimed specifically at personal injury services. They sit in the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002, sections 62 to 69, and they catch out a lot of firms.
What you can say, and where
Advertising personal injury services means publishing anything likely to encourage someone to make a claim, or to use a particular firm for that claim. Here's how the Act treats it:
- Where: advertising is allowed in print, on billboards and signs, and on the internet. It's not allowed on radio, TV, recorded phone messages or cinema screens.
- What: in most places, the content is limited to the firm's name, contact details and areas of practice.
- The website exception: on your own website, you can also explain how personal injury law works, people's legal rights and the conditions under which you'll act. That's why "No Win, No Fee" style terms are only permitted on a firm's own website.
- Never: touting, such as approaching people at an accident scene or hospital, and paying or receiving referral fees.
The website exception is narrow. It covers information, not general promotion.
Two 2026 decisions worth knowing
In February 2026, Proctor reported on a case where a firm's billboard, including one on a hospital, carried a "No Win, No Fee" message for almost five years. Its website and social media made similar statements. The Tribunal upgraded the charge to professional misconduct, fined the principal $30,000, publicly reprimanded him and noted the conduct was prevalent in personal injury practice.
In May 2026, the principal of a Gold Coast firm was publicly reprimanded over statements on his firm's own website. Some were plainly promotional, like promising to walk with clients every step of the way, and fell outside the website exception. The judge acknowledged the provisions are difficult to apply, but still found the conduct unsatisfactory.
The lesson: "everyone else does it" isn't a defence, and even conservative promotional wording can breach the Act.
Ads, directories and social media
Because the extra content is only allowed on your own website, it doesn't extend to Google Ads, directory listings or social media posts. The Legal Services Commission has published a regulatory guide on advertising personal injury services on search engines and non-lawyer websites. Check for its current guidance before running ads, and get advice if you're unsure.
Reviews and testimonials
The solicitors' rules don't ban testimonials outright, but they create real risks:
- Confidentiality. A review can reveal enough detail for a client or matter to be recognised, even without a name.
- Misleading impressions. Only use genuine testimonials, never edit them to change their meaning, and don't let them imply a guaranteed result.
- Replying to reviews. Don't confirm someone was a client or mention their matter, even when replying to a negative review.
Google reviews are still valuable for local rankings. Ask for them, and reply politely and generally.
Build a website that ranks and complies
The good news is that compliant content is also good SEO. Google rewards clear, accurate, helpful pages, and so do worried clients.
- Practice area pages that explain the law, the process, typical timeframes and what to expect.
- Cost information that explains how you charge, without hidden conditions.
- Lawyer profiles with accurate admission details, experience and any accreditations, described correctly.
- FAQ sections that answer real questions in plain language.
- Personal injury pages on your own site that explain the law and your terms, within the website exception.
Good on-page SEO makes sure each page targets the searches clients use, without overstating anything. It's the foundation of SEO for lawyers.
What AI search means for compliance
More people now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews legal questions, like "how does a personal injury claim work in Queensland?" or "which family lawyers in Toowoomba offer fixed fees?". These tools summarise and repeat what websites say.
That cuts both ways. Clear, accurate pages give AI tools something trustworthy to cite and can bring your firm into the answer. But an inflated claim on your site can be repeated in AI answers too, in front of more people.
To be cited for the right reasons:
- Explain the law and your process plainly on each practice area page.
- Keep lawyer credentials accurate and consistent everywhere they appear.
- Answer common questions in short, factual FAQs.
- Keep your firm details the same on your website, Google Business Profile and directories.
That's the focus of AI search optimisation.
A quick compliance checklist
Work through your website with this list:
- Remove "best", "leading" and similar claims you can't back up.
- Check every results, success rate and award claim is accurate and current.
- Make sure "specialist" and "expert" are only used where justified.
- Review personal injury pages against sections 62 to 69 of the Act.
- Check ads, directories and social posts for personal injury wording that belongs only on your website.
- Review testimonials for confidentiality and accuracy.
- Check replies to reviews don't confirm client relationships.
- Explain fee conditions clearly wherever fees are mentioned.
Compliant and visible
Queensland's advertising rules aren't a reason to avoid marketing. They're a reason to do it properly: clear, accurate pages that explain the law and how you work. That kind of content ranks in Google, gets cited in AI answers and keeps your firm out of trouble. For the bigger picture, my guide to law firm marketing covers what brings in clients and what wastes money.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes, an SEO consulting session can review your website's content and structure. I work with law firms across Brisbane and Toowoomba. Book a free SEO strategy call and I'll show you how your website could rank better while staying within the rules. Let's talk.
Questions law firms ask about advertising rules
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Yes. Rule 36 of the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules covers any advertising, marketing or promotion connected with a solicitor or law practice, including websites, directory listings, ads and social media.
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Only on the firm's own website, within the limits of section 66(2) of the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act. Elsewhere, personal injury advertising is limited to the firm's name, contact details and areas of practice. In 2026, a principal was fined $30,000 over "No Win, No Fee" advertising.
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Ads sit outside your own website, so the extra content allowed on your site doesn't apply. The Legal Services Commission has published a guide on advertising personal injury services on search engines and non-lawyer websites. Check its current guidance, and get advice before running ads.
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Solicitors must not give a false impression of specialist expertise. Only lawyers accredited through a recognised scheme, such as the Queensland Law Society's, can call themselves accredited specialists, and they should follow the QLS marketing guidelines.
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They're not banned outright, but they must be genuine, must not mislead and must not breach client confidentiality. Even an unnamed testimonial can identify a client or matter.
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Social media posts that promote a solicitor or firm are advertising, so the same rules apply. AI tools also summarise and repeat what your website says, so accurate claims matter even more.