Florida lawyers now have guidance on how to respond to negative online reviews posted by those who are not current or former clients — keep it brief, factual, and don’t reveal information concerning a client’s representation without the client’s informed consent.

That’s the advice from recently approved Ethics Opinion 21-1 that was adopted by the Board of Governors in December.

“If accurate, the lawyer may state that the person who made the post is not a current client or former client,” the opinion, put forth by the Professional Ethics Committee, reads. “The lawyer may generally note that the comments in the review are inaccurate but that the lawyer’s response is constrained by the lawyer’s ethical obligations.”