This piece discusses Opinion No. 738 by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, entitled Responding to Negative Online Review (Dec. 9, 2020). The Committee concluded that “lawyers may respond to negative online reviews posted by clients, former clients, or prospective clients by stating that they disagree with the facts presented by the reviewer, but they may not disclose ‘information relating to representation,’ except information that is ‘generally known.’”

Lawyers: Welcome to the Age of Online Consumer Reviews

Online reviews are everywhere. They can be a great source of information for everything from finding the best sushi joint in town, to learning what 1,419 folks thought of the new tape dispenser you need to get your kid for school. They can be really funny too (some people are born to write these things, search under “funniest Yelp reviews”). They can be cathartic for people who feel they were mistreated and are angry about the services or goods they received.