Law firm video marketing and attorney video scripts that respect your state bar rules

The ones that answer a question a person has right now. Someone who was just rear-ended, served with divorce papers or denied a visa is searching, not browsing, and a clear two-minute answer from a real attorney is the most persuasive thing they can find. That is why short FAQ videos outperform the firm overview for most practices: the overview is about you, and the FAQ is about them.

These are the formats we write most for firms, and where each one earns its keep.

If you run only one format, run the FAQ. It is the cheapest to film, it compounds as a library, and the best-performing answers are the obvious candidates to boost later. For the testimonial format specifically, our video testimonials page covers how to get a usable take from someone who is not a performer.

The same thing they say about every other medium, which is the point. ABA Model Rule 7.2(a) says a lawyer "may communicate information regarding the lawyer's services through any media", and Rule 7.1 says that whatever means are used, "statements about them must be truthful". Video is not a special category. It is an advertisement, and the words and pictures in it are judged like any other.

Three parts of the model rules shape a video script more than the rest. Comment 3 to Rule 7.1 says a communication that truthfully reports a lawyer's achievements "may be misleading if presented so as to lead a reasonable person to form an unjustified expectation that the same results could be obtained for other clients", and that an appropriate disclaimer "may preclude" that finding. Rule 7.2(c) bars stating or implying you are certified as a specialist unless you are certified by an approved or ABA-accredited organization and name it. Rule 7.2(d) requires any communication under the rule to include "the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content".

In a script, that becomes four habits. Say what the law generally allows, not what the viewer will get. Put any settlement or verdict figure next to its context and a disclaimer. Name the certifying body if you say certified, and do not say specialist otherwise. End with the responsible attorney and a way to reach them. Most states have adopted some version of the ABA text, but several add their own requirements on top, which is the next section.

Where the firm is licensed matters more than which platform the video runs on. These three states are where the difference between states shows up most clearly. We read each one at its source in September 2026. None of this is legal advice, and your state's current rule and your ethics counsel have the final word.

The New York row is the one to double-check wherever you read about lawyer video. Several pages ranking for lawyer video advertising rules today still quote the pre-June 2026 New York clauses word for word, including the mandatory results disclaimer and the actor disclosure. They were accurate when written. They are not the current rule.

In Florida, no. The bar's handbook lists the conditions for a testimonial, and one of them is that "the lawyer may not write or draft the testimonial". The same list requires that it be the person's actual experience, that the person receive nothing of value for it, that it be representative of what clients generally experience, and that any testimonial mentioning results carry a disclaimer that prospective clients may not obtain the same or similar results. On television, the handbook says that disclaimer should be large enough to notice and shown "at the same time the words are spoken".

Other states are less specific, but the ABA comment on unjustified expectations applies everywhere, and client confidentiality means you need the client's informed consent before you discuss their matter on camera at all.

So we do not write client testimonials for law firms, and a brief for this format should not either. What the brief can do is plan everything around the client's own words: the attorney's introduction, the questions the interviewer asks, the b-roll of the office, the on-screen text that sets context, and where the disclaimer sits. The client answers in their own words and you keep what is true. If you want the general mechanics of filming a testimonial, the testimonial video script page covers structure, and it applies to law firms with that one exception: the client's lines are theirs.

In Florida it can. The handbook says a lawyer "does not have to file the lawyer or law firm's own page" on a social media or video sharing site, and that videos promoting the practice on YouTube and similar sites do not have to be filed. But it also says "paid, boosted, and/or sponsored spot advertising on social media" must be filed for review, unless the content is limited to the basic information the rules treat as presumptively valid.

That creates a trap most firms walk into. An attorney posts a FAQ video to the firm's Facebook page, it gets good engagement, and someone presses Boost. The same video that needed no filing an hour ago now needed to be filed 20 days before it ran. The fix is procedural: decide before you film which videos might be promoted, and file those.

Texas works the other way round in timing. Its Rule 7.04 lets you file no later than 10 days after dissemination, with a copy of the ad in the form it appeared. That is why a brief for a Texas firm should keep every cut as a numbered version, with the final export saved. When a platform like Meta or YouTube runs the paid version, our Meta ads UGC and YouTube Shorts ads pages cover the platform specs.

Everything that would otherwise be decided on the day, by whoever is holding the phone. This is what a brief for an attorney video should cover, including the one row you add yourself.

If you already write scripts for other ads, the structure will look familiar. Our video ad script page covers the general format; the difference for lawyers is the disclaimer row and the rule that the answer stays general.

Short enough to finish, long enough to answer. For social platforms, 30 to 60 seconds covers one question well. For YouTube and your website, where the viewer chose to press play, two to three minutes is fine for an explainer, and a longer walkthrough of a process like probate or a green card interview can run past five.

A practical rule is one question per video. A 45 second video that answers "what happens if the other driver has no insurance" is more useful than a three minute video on car accident claims in general, and it is easier to keep compliant, because the answer is narrow enough to state accurately without promising anything.

Filming is simpler than most attorneys expect. A current phone on a small tripod, a window to the side, a lapel microphone and a quiet room produce a result good enough for every platform. The script matters more than the camera. If you are also running paid ads on LinkedIn, where firms often promote partner commentary, our LinkedIn thought leader ads page covers what that platform allows.

It depends on who writes and who films. A production company that handles both typically charges by the shoot day or the package, and law firm video pricing runs into the thousands of dollars for a single polished attorney bio. Monthly video programs for firms from marketing agencies are priced as retainers on top of that. We compared the published prices of law firm video companies on one unit, the cost of one finished video, in law firm video production cost.

The cheaper route that works for many small and mid-size firms is to split the job. The attorney films on a phone or with a local videographer by the hour, a freelancer or an in-house assistant edits, and the script and brief come from a tool. That is the part we do: the first brief is free with no account, and Pro is $49 a month for unlimited briefs and scripts. We do not film, edit, supply on-camera talent, run ads, file with the bar or review your script for compliance. You or your ethics counsel approve the final wording, because only you know which state's rules apply to your practice and your facts.