Accredited Specialist Wording Online: Getting Profiles and Logos Right

What the rule says

Rule 36.2 of the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules has two parts. A solicitor "must not convey a false, misleading or deceptive impression of specialist expertise". And a solicitor must not advertise or authorise advertising using the words "accredited specialist" or a derivative of those words, including post-nominals, "unless the solicitor is a specialist accredited by the relevant professional association" ^[1].

The first part is wider than the second. A profile can avoid the exact phrase "accredited specialist" and still create a misleading impression of specialist expertise. That is why words like "specialist" and "specialises" deserve care even when nobody uses the formal title.

Who runs accreditation

Accreditation schemes are run by professional associations. The Law Society of NSW runs a Specialist Accreditation scheme ^[2]. The Queensland Law Society and the Law Society of South Australia run accreditation schemes, as the QLS commentary on Rule 36 notes ^[3]. The Law Society of Western Australia's Accreditation Rules 2026, effective 1 April 2026, govern its Specialist Accreditation Scheme. They allow titles such as "Family Law Accredited Specialist", prescribe post-nominal forms such as AccS(Fam), limit logo use to what the rules allow, and require specialists advertising outside Western Australia to state the state of accreditation ^[4]. If you practise elsewhere, check with the local Law Society or Institute.

The Law Society of NSW promotion rules

The Law Society of NSW's guidance on promoting accreditation includes these points ^[2]:

• "Specialist Accreditation is the achievement of an individual, not a firm at large."
• Only accredited specialists who have renewed their accreditation annually can promote themselves as an accredited specialist.
• There are three types of logos available, and they cannot be altered in any way.
• A specialist on or seeking a leave of absence must refrain from holding themselves out as a specialist during that time.
• Specialists should consult the guidelines before any promotional or advertising activity.

The QLS point about logos

The Queensland Law Society's commentary makes a design point worth applying everywhere: accreditation attaches to the individual practitioner, not the firm, so accreditation logos must not appear close to the practice name or to a practitioner who is not accredited ^[3]. The QLS also publishes accredited specialist marketing guidelines governing logo and post-nominal use ^[3].

Applying the rules on a website

Profiles

Show accreditation on the accredited lawyer's own profile: the accreditation title, the area, and the logo supplied by the Law Society if you use one. State the area exactly as accredited and use the title form your scheme prescribes, not a paraphrase that widens it. If the lawyer's profile is read by clients in other states, say which state granted the accreditation, as the Western Australian rules require when advertising outside that state ^[4].

Team pages and listings

On a page listing several lawyers, place any accreditation marker beside the accredited person's name only. A row of headshots with one logo floating above the group can suggest the whole team holds it.

The firm name, header and footer

Keep accreditation logos out of the site header, the footer and anywhere near the firm logo. This follows the QLS point about distance from the practice name ^[3] and the NSW statement that accreditation is not a firm achievement ^[2].

Practice area pages

A practice area page can say that a named lawyer in the team is an accredited specialist in that area, with a link to their profile. It should not describe the firm as "specialist family lawyers" if one person holds the accreditation. Clearer wording names the person: "Our family law team includes Jane Citizen, an accredited specialist in family law", with the title in the exact form her scheme prescribes on her profile.

Page titles, ads and search snippets

Titles and descriptions appear in search results and are part of the firm's advertising. Do not put "specialist" in a title unless the page is about an accredited lawyer and the wording is accurate.

Words to use instead

For lawyers without accreditation, these describe the work without implying formal status:

• "practises in"
• "focuses on"
• "acts for clients in"
• "has practised in [area] since [year]"

Keeping it current

Accreditation must be renewed annually to be promoted ^[2], so a profile that was accurate last year may not be now. Practical safeguards:

1. Store an expiry or renewal date with each accreditation in your website's content system.
2. Set a reminder a month before renewal falls due.
3. Remove the accreditation line and logo during any leave of absence, as the NSW guidance requires ^[2].
4. Review all profiles when someone leaves, changes role or gains a new accreditation.

Barristers

Accreditation schemes discussed here are for solicitors. Barristers are subject to their own conduct rules and bar association guidance. A chambers website should check the relevant bar rules before describing any member as a specialist.