If you cannot identify a reviewer as a client, investigate before calling the review fake. The person may have used a different name, contacted intake, dealt with another office, or commented on an interaction outside a retained matter. Your first task is to establish what is known.
1. Preserve the review in context
Save the public URL, reviewer display name, text, rating, date, and a screenshot showing the affected profile. Keep an original copy before highlighting or annotating it. If the text changes, record the revised version and date.
2. Conduct a limited internal check
Assign one person to check appropriate intake and office records. Record which systems and date ranges were checked. An absence of a matching name is an observation; it does not establish the reviewer’s identity or prove that no interaction occurred.
- Check whether another attorney or office recognizes the circumstances.
- Consider a former firm name, spelling variation, or different location.
- Separate an inquiry from a signed engagement.
- Keep confidential information inside the firm’s approved workflow.
3. Identify the actual concern
Describe the problem precisely. For example: the review names a different business, describes a service the firm does not provide, or contains a specific statement contradicted by public information. Avoid replacing evidence with a conclusion such as this person is lying.
4. Keep reporting separate from replying
A platform report should identify the relevant policy and supporting facts. Google says removal eligibility depends on a policy violation. Review its official reporting guidance before submitting a request.
For public responses, consider confidentiality before addressing the reviewer’s relationship to the firm. Florida Bar Opinion 21-1 discusses nonclient criticism in that jurisdiction. Obtain guidance under the rules applicable to your practice.
5. Prepare a concise evidence summary
Use a simple structure: public URL; date preserved; precise concern; checks performed; relevant nonconfidential evidence; and requested action. Exclude speculation about motives, unsupported accusations, and private client documents.
A hypothetical example
A reviewer criticizes a firm for a real-estate closing, while the profile belongs to a practice that handles only immigration matters. Preserve the wording, verify the firm’s actual services, and investigate possible mistaken identity. The example suggests a line of inquiry; it does not establish that the platform will remove the review.
Get a focused assessment
For help evaluating the next step, see Google review removal for lawyers or send the public URL for an assessment.
