Foundational pillar / check attorney-responsible-contact
Responsible lawyer or firm and contact details
Checks that a law firm page names a responsible lawyer or firm together with at least one way to reach them, the baseline in ABA Model Rule 7.2(d).
By Shimon Carroll, Founder, SEO for AI Agents · Last updated
What this check measures
Whether the page names a firm or lawyer (from LegalService, Attorney, Organization, or LocalBusiness JSON-LD, or visible text such as "Law Group" or "Esq.") and offers a contact channel: a tel: or mailto: link, a telephone or email property, a PostalAddress, or a visible phone number.
Why it matters
ABA Model Rule 7.2(d) says any communication about a lawyer’s services must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content. Most states adopt a version of this and some add requirements, such as an office address. Clear identity and contact details also help visitors and AI answers attribute the firm correctly.
How we score it
A review prompt, not a legal verdict. Runs only on law firm audits. When the cue is missing the finding is medium severity at medium confidence, which lowers the foundational pillar by about 2.4 points. A pass is informational and never scores. Each finding names who should review it, quotes what we saw on the page, and cites the primary source. Where the page shows a US address we name the inferred state; otherwise the wording is state-agnostic.
Confidence-flag rules
MEDIUM: the check reads the visible page text, links, and JSON-LD directly, so what it quotes is exact, but wording can carry the same meaning in phrasing we do not recognise, and one page does not show the whole site.
Common mistakes
- A footer that shows only a logo image with no text name.
- A contact form with no phone, email, or address anywhere on the page.
- Assuming the model rule is the whole rule when your state requires more.
How to fix it
Put the firm or responsible lawyer name and at least one contact method in the footer of every page. Then ask your ethics counsel whether your state adds anything, such as an office address or an advertising label.
Primary sources
- ABA Model Rule 7.2, Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
American Bar Association
- Maryland Attorneys’ Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 19-307.2, Advertising)
Maryland Judiciary
Changelog
- · New. This rule used to live only in the vertical configuration and never ran. It is now a registered review check with a cited primary source, framed as a prompt to review with a professional rather than a pass or fail legal verdict.