Check a legal website before paying or sharing a file
For people checking an unfamiliar law firm website or message.
A website lists a real lawyer’s name and bar number. How do I verify the person contacting me?
Look up the lawyer in the official licensing directory, then contact the office through details obtained independently of the website or message. Ask whether the office operates that exact domain and sent that particular request. A copied profile can pass a name-only check.
Preserve the claim and find a separate route
Record the full website address, sender address, displayed name and what you were asked to do. Keep the original message. Use your own route to the licensing authority for the jurisdiction claimed. Compare the lawyer’s full name, license status and listed office contact information. A search advertisement or a link supplied in the message is a weak starting point for an independent check.
For a California example, the State Bar recommends using its attorney search and contacting the lawyer through information on the Bar’s site. Elsewhere use the applicable regulator’s official directory. If an office telephone number is unavailable, use a previously verified contact or ask the regulator how to verify the listing.
Ask about the particular request
Give the verified office the exact domain spelling and the substance of the request. Ask whether it recognizes the sender, operates that domain and authorized the payment or upload. Avoid reading sensitive case facts or sending identity documents while verifying identity. A genuine office can be impersonated using real case details.
If a payment account has changed, confirm the new instructions through an independently established channel. Treat urgency, secrecy or an insistence on using only the sender’s number as reasons to pause. Tell the verified office what you received and ask it to confirm the request before you send funds.
If the check fails
Stop the transaction and preserve the messages, website address and payment details for a report. Contact the real office through the verified channel. If money has already moved, contact the financial provider promptly through its official contact route. Use the relevant regulator’s complaint process or the FTC’s reporting channel as appropriate.
Worked example
Illustrative example. A sender requests a same-day deposit and includes a lawyer’s genuine bar profile. Using the directory’s telephone number, the recipient asks the office whether it owns the exact domain and requested the transfer. The office denies both. The recipient keeps the original message and reports the impersonation through verified channels.
Primary sources
Related work at Agentic Attorney
This website-verification guide is part of the Agentic Attorney resource collection. The main site describes AI consulting and implementation for legal teams. Explore Agentic Attorney’s approach to AI implementation.