Can I show fees and testimonials on my law-firm website, or does it break the UNBR advertising rules?

You want a website for your practice, but a real fear holds you back: if you show your fees or a few client recommendations, could you face a complaint to the bar for improper professional advertising? It's a legitimate worry — the legal profession has strict ethics rules, and nobody wants to start their online presence with a disciplinary problem.

The good news is that the rules are clearer than they seem. Almost everything comes down to one distinction: advertising (commercial self-promotion) versus professional information (stating honestly and soberly who you are and what you do). Once you grasp that line, most questions answer themselves. Let's draw it concretely, on the case of fees and testimonials.

Advertising vs. professional information: the line that matters

The Romanian Statute of the Legal Profession does not forbid you from having a website. It forbids turning it into a commercial shop window. What's permitted: factual, honest, sober information that helps a potential client understand who you are, what areas you cover, and how to reach you. What's problematic: soliciting clients, promising outcomes, comparing yourself to other lawyers, and anything that harms the dignity and independence of the profession.

In practice, ask yourself about every element on the site: "does it inform or does it sell?" Text explaining what a non-compete clause means informs. A banner reading "the best lawyer in town, call now" sells. The first is welcome; the second exposes you. The whole site should be conceived in the register of information, not of advertising.

What you can display without worry

There's a core set of information you can publish with peace of mind:

• your name, the form in which you practice, and the bar you belong to
• your office address, contact details, hours, and a contact form
• your areas of competence and the types of services you offer
• the languages you work in
• your academic and professional titles, specializations, and professional affiliations
• articles and legal guides you write for the public

That last point is actually the most valuable. A blog where you plainly explain common matters — divorce, employment disputes, contracts — informs the public, shows your competence through content rather than boasting, and stays fully in the safe zone. It's the best form of visibility permitted to a lawyer: being useful.

Fees: how to mention them without advertising prices

Here's the nuance. You can be transparent about how a fee is set without turning it into a promotional price list.

The safe zone: explaining the fee structure — fixed, hourly, staged, monthly retainer, or the success component where it's allowed —, describing how the first consultation works, and stating that you give a personalized estimate once you understand the case.

The risky zone: prices presented like a shop, especially alongside "discounts," "offers," "lowest fee" or comparisons with other lawyers. These slide quickly into prohibited advertising.

The honest recommendation: instead of a rate card, a clear "how I set my fee" section serves the client better and keeps you safe. And always check the wording with your bar — interpretations can differ.

Testimonials: the highest-risk zone

Here the advice is blunter. Client testimonials collide with several rules at once: professional secrecy, client confidentiality, GDPR, and the ban on presenting yourself through third-party praise.

Naming a client or case details is out, even with their consent, because you expose information and harm the dignity of the profession. Even an anonymized testimonial along the lines of "we won a difficult case" can imply a promise of results, which is forbidden.

The healthy alternative: drop testimonials from your firm's website. The risk outweighs the benefit. You build trust in other ways — through a clear presentation, a professional tone, and content that shows you know what you're talking about. Public reviews such as Google are a separate and still sensitive matter; treat them with caution and don't turn them into promotional material on your site.

The golden rules and how we can help

A few principles that keep you clean, whatever the detail:

• never promise outcomes ("we'll definitely win"). It's as suspect as a web agency promising you "guaranteed number one on Google" — trust neither
• no comparisons with colleagues and no denigrating them
• keep a sober, dignified tone, worthy of the profession
• check your wording with your bar: the Statute of the Legal Profession and UNBR decisions are the source of truth, and interpretations can vary

We build the entire website remotely, wherever you are in the country, and we prepare a free demo before you decide anything — you see it working, then you choose. We structure it from the start in the register of information, not advertising, precisely so you don't have to worry about the bar. If you'd like to discuss your case, message us on WhatsApp; the first message commits you to nothing.