In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
A law firm website may describe the firm, its lawyers and practice areas factually. It must not tout, mention success rates, compare or criticise other firms' fees or quality, reveal confidential client or case details, or make expertise claims you cannot justify. Every claim should be verifiable.
Which rules govern law firm websites?
Part 5 of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015, titled 'Rules applicable to touting and publicity', covers rules 37 to 49. The guiding principle in rule 37: a legal practitioner must not engage in publicity, or procure work, in circumstances that affect the dignity and standing of the legal profession.
Rule 41 confirms that lawyers may publicise their practice, and rule 42 makes each lawyer responsible for publicity done on their behalf, including by a web designer or marketing agency. If you find something improper, you must use best endeavours to have it corrected or withdrawn. The Law Society's Council can order publicity to be altered or removed.
Rule 49 says publicity is conducted in a jurisdiction where it is reasonably expected to be received or accessed in the normal course of events. A website aimed at Singapore clients is therefore Singapore publicity, and rules 43 to 47 apply.
What a law firm website must not say
Rules 43 and 44 set out the content limits that matter most for a website.
| Not allowed | Website example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Success rates | '95% of cases won', 'record of successful outcomes' | 43(1)(b)(ii) |
| Past cases or clients, if it breaches confidentiality | Case studies naming clients without consent | 43(1)(b)(i) |
| Comparing or criticising other firms' fees or quality | 'Lower fees than big firms', 'better service than others' | 43(1)(c) |
| Expertise claims that cannot be justified | 'Singapore's leading expert' without basis | 43(1)(a) |
| Unverifiable or misleading content | Rankings or statistics you cannot back up | 44(2) |
| Unjustified expectations of results | 'We will get you full compensation' | 44(2)(d) |
| Undignified publicity | Gimmicks that bring the profession into disrepute | 44(1) |
| The Law Society's armorial bearings | Using the Society's crest as decoration | 42(4) |
Rule 44(2) defines misleading publicity broadly: it includes a material misrepresentation, omitting a material fact, information that cannot be verified, and anything likely to create an unjustified expectation about results.
Claiming expertise and specialisation
Practice area pages often say a lawyer 'specialises in' or 'is an expert in' an area. Rule 43(1)(a) allows this only if the claim can be justified, and rule 43(2) lists factors that may be taken into account:
- academic qualifications;
- experience, and the proportion of working time spent in the area;
- level of success achieved;
- complexity of the law and practice involved;
- significance of the matters handled;
- assessment by peers.
In practice, write factual biographies: years of practice, the kinds of matters handled (without confidential details), qualifications and admissions. Keep records that support any 'specialist' or 'expert' wording, and avoid phrases such as 'top', 'best' or 'number one' unless they come from a verifiable source and do not breach other rules.
Touting, referrals and online marketing
Rule 39 prohibits touting for business, or anything likely to lead to a reasonable inference of touting. It also bars rewarding referrers with commission. For websites and digital marketing, this raises practical questions:
- Referral and lead-generation platforms: paying a per-lead commission to a third party can conflict with the ban on rewarding referrers. Review any such arrangement against rules 39 and 40.
- Conveyancing referrals: rule 40 requires written agreements with specific terms, and referrer publicity must not suggest the conveyancing service is free or that prices of other services depend on using your firm.
- Third-party publicity: rule 46 allows your practice to be publicised alongside third parties, subject to the other rules.
- Contributions to good causes: rule 45 limits acknowledgements to the lawyer's or firm's name.
Ads, social media posts and newsletters are publicity too. Apply the same checks to every channel, not only the website.
Protecting client data: email and file security
Law firms hold exactly what attackers want: confidential matters, personal data and client money movements. The Law Society's Guide to Cybersecurity for Law Practices (March 2020) lists email threats such as business email compromise and phishing, and recommends controls including multi-factor authentication, encryption, regular backups and disabling leavers' email access.
Email and file security checklist for law practices
For Microsoft 365 users, our Microsoft 365 security checklist puts these settings in priority order. Our guide to fixing SPF, DKIM and DMARC covers the domain records.
Stopping payment redirection scams
Conveyancing completions, settlements and trust account transfers are prime targets for fake 'change of bank details' emails, sent from a compromised or look-alike mailbox. A simple, written process stops most of them.
Publish your payment policy
State on your website and engagement letters that you will never change bank details by email.
Verify every new or changed account by phone
Call a number you already hold for the client or counterparty, never one in the email.
Require two people for large transfers
One prepares, another approves after the call-back.
Watch for look-alike domains
Check the sender's address character by character on any payment email.
Act fast if money was sent
Call your bank immediately to try to stop the transfer, report to the police, and assess whether it is a notifiable PDPA breach.
If a mailbox has been taken over, follow our hacked business email guide, and our PDPA breach notification guide for the 3-day notification timeline.
Do it yourself or get help?
A partner can review website copy against the table above in an afternoon; the hard part is keeping marketing staff and agencies aligned with Part 5 over time. Security settings take longer and need someone comfortable in the Microsoft 365 or Google admin centre.
Business Website (S$1,490) builds a clean site of up to six pages with factual practice area pages and lawyer profiles, written to avoid success rates and comparative claims; final sign-off stays with the firm. Microsoft 365 / Google Security Lockdown (S$590) enforces MFA, blocks risky sign-ins and forwarding, and tightens file sharing.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Rule 41 of the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 allows legal practitioners to publicise their practice, subject to the rules. Publicity must not tout, be misleading or undignified, mention success rates, compare other firms' fees or quality, or breach client confidentiality, and claims of expertise must be justifiable.
No to success rates: rule 43 prohibits any direct or indirect mention of the success rate of the lawyer, the firm or any member. Mentioning past cases or clients is prohibited where it would breach a duty of confidentiality, so get clear client consent and avoid presenting outcomes in a way that creates unjustified expectations.
Only if the claim can be justified. Rule 43 lists factors that may support a claim to expertise or specialisation, including qualifications, experience, the proportion of working time in the area, level of success, complexity and significance of matters, and assessment by peers. Keep evidence and use factual wording.
The lawyer. Rule 42 requires a legal practitioner to ensure any publicity relating to their practice complies with the rules, whether done by them or by another person on their behalf. If they become aware of an impropriety, they must use best endeavours to have the publicity corrected or withdrawn.