Google Business Profile for law firms: how many can you have?
One profile per office — plus, on top of that, one per attorney. Google treats lawyers as individual practitioners. So each lawyer who meets the public can have a profile next to the firm's. What you can't do is make a profile for each practice area. You also can't use a virtual office address.
Most firms have either too few profiles or too many, and both cost you. A Google Business Profile is your free listing on Google Maps and in local search. Setting up a Google Business Profile for law firms starts with one question: how many can you have? Google's rules for law firms are very clear. And they allow something most firms never set up.
Can a law firm have multiple profiles?
One profile per office. Plus, on top of that, one profile per attorney.
That second half is the part firms miss. Google treats lawyers as individual practitioners. Doctors and financial planners are in the same group. And practitioners are allowed their own profile next to the firm's.
Here is what Google allows a law firm, in one place:
| Situation | Own profile? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Each real office | Yes, one each | Google allows one page per location |
| Each lawyer who meets clients | Yes, one each | Lawyers count as individual practitioners |
| Each practice area | No | One front door, one profile |
| Each specialty of one lawyer | No | One lawyer, one profile |
| A virtual office | No | A rented mailing address isn't eligible |
| A solo practice run from home | Yes, address hidden | Clear the address and set a service area |
One profile per office
The basic rule is simple, and Google states it clearly: "Do not create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts."[1]
Two offices, two profiles. One office, one profile. That's it.
But you can't make a profile for each practice area. A firm that does DUI, family and estate work gets one profile, not three. Firms try this because each area feels like its own business. It almost always ends with the profile suspended, which means Google turns it off.
Why do firms try it anyway? Because each practice area really does feel like a different business with a different client. But Google is describing a real place, not a type of service. One front door, one profile.
The part most firms miss
Google lets one lawyer have their own profile. It can be at the same address as the firm's.
There is a real condition. Google says a practitioner should have their own profile if they "operate in a public-facing role"[1] and "can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours."[1] A name on a website isn't enough. Someone has to be able to reach that person there.
Two rules come with it, and firms break both all the time:
The profile is named for the person, not the firm. Google's rule is that the practitioner profile title "shouldn't include the name of the organization."[1] So "Jane Alvarez" — not "Jane Alvarez – Alvarez & Reed LLP." There's one exception. A solo lawyer who runs a branded firm uses the format Google gives: [brand]: [practitioner name].
One profile per attorney, not one per specialty. Google is clear: "A practitioner shouldn't have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations."[1] One lawyer, one profile, no matter how many areas they practise.
Done right, a firm with three lawyers can have four real profiles: the firm, plus each lawyer. Done as a trick to rank higher, it's the fastest way to lose them all.
Say your firm has two offices and three lawyers who meet clients, each at one of those offices:
Example math. Add a fourth practice area and the count stays at 5.
So why do this at all? A practitioner profile gives a lawyer their own reviews and photo. It also gives them their own spot when someone searches their name. People do that all the time before they hire a lawyer. And a partner with a strong name isn't hidden behind the firm's listing.
The cost is upkeep. Every profile needs its hours, categories and reviews kept fresh. A stale profile with three reviews next to a good firm listing looks worse than no profile at all. Only set up what you'll really keep up.
Send us your firm name, your offices and your lawyers. We'll tell you how many profiles you're allowed to have. We'll also tell you which ones are set up wrong, and whether any you have now are at risk.
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Virtual offices don't qualify
This one catches firms that want to show up in a city nearby. Google leaves no doubt: "If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile."[1]
This is not a gray area. It's not something that works if you keep quiet. It's the most common reason a law firm profile gets suspended. And while you appeal, your reviews stop showing too.
Do you really want to reach a nearby city? There are two honest ways. Open a real office there with real staff. Or build a page on your site that ranks for that city on its own. There's no shortcut. And the shortcut costs you the profile you already have.
If you work from home
Solo lawyers who work from home should hide their address. Google's advice for this case is to "clear the address from your Business Profile"[1] and set a service area instead.
You keep the profile and you keep the reviews. Clients see the area you cover, not where you live. Leaving your home address on the page is a privacy problem before it's a marketing one.
One more thing trips firms up later. If a lawyer leaves, their profile doesn't leave with them. It sits there, pointing at your address, with the name of someone who no longer works there. Remove it or hand it over the same week, before someone calls it.
Where we fit
We set up the profiles and the attorney listings, and we keep them current. That is all part of GBP optimization. It sits on top of the base system. That system runs the website, reviews and follow-up.
Then it's monthly. Which profile got the calls? Which lawyer's listing is working? How are reviews coming in across all of them? Keep what's working, fix what isn't, and refine it again. Profiles drift over time. Hours change, categories get stale, someone leaves the firm. The full picture for law firms is on the law firm digital marketing page.
Google Business Profile for law firms: FAQs
Can a law firm have multiple Google Business Profiles?
One per office, plus a separate profile for each lawyer who deals with the public. That lawyer must be reachable at that address during set hours. But you can't make a profile for each practice area. Google's rule is one page per location.
Can two attorneys at the same firm each have a Google Business Profile?
Yes. Google treats lawyers as individual practitioners, the same group as doctors. So a lawyer may have a profile next to the firm's, at the same address. Each lawyer gets one profile, not one per specialty.
What should an attorney's Google Business Profile be named?
The lawyer's name, with no firm name added. Google's rule says a practitioner profile title shouldn't include the name of the organization. The exception is a solo lawyer who runs a branded firm. Then Google gives the format [brand]: [practitioner name].
Can I use a virtual office address for my law firm's Google Business Profile?
No. Google states that if you rent a mailing address but don't work out of it, that location can't have a profile. It's the most common reason law firm profiles get suspended. And while you appeal, your reviews are hidden.
What if I run my practice from home?
Clear the address from the profile and set a service area instead. You keep the profile and the reviews. Clients see the area you cover, not where you live. And you follow Google's rules for businesses with no public office.
Is a Google Business Profile for law firms free?
Yes. The listing on Google Maps and in local search is free. The real cost is upkeep. Every profile needs its hours, categories and reviews kept fresh. And when a lawyer leaves, remove or hand over their profile the same week.
Sources & references
The numbered links in this article point to the sources below.
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