# What Is the Best Practice for Redacting Client Testimonials?

> Remove client name, case number, court, dates, and financial figures. Use generic labels and strip metadata. Model Rule 1.6 may require client consent.

- **Author:** Neetusha
- **Published:** 2026-06-22
- **URL:** https://www.redactifyai.com/answers/redacting-client-testimonials-best-practices/

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When using client matters as portfolio samples or testimonials, redaction must go beyond removing the client name. A sophisticated reader can often identify a matter from the combination of court, judge, jurisdiction, dates, industry, and case type even when no name appears. Best practice is to remove every specific detail that narrows the identifiable field to fewer than a handful of possible clients, then replace removed text with generic labels that preserve the substance of the example.

## What to remove from client testimonials and portfolio samples

Apply redaction to these seven categories before sharing any client matter publicly:

1. **Party identifiers**: client name, company name, opposing party name, guarantors, named individuals.
2. **Case identifiers**: case number, docket number, matter reference, internal file number.
3. **Court and judicial identifiers**: court name, judge, magistrate, jurisdiction, division.
4. **Date details**: filing dates, hearing dates, and case-specific dates that narrow the time window to identifiable matters.
5. **Financial figures**: settlement amounts, damages figures, fee awards, or transaction values specific enough to identify the matter.
6. **Geographic details**: addresses, specific venues, or locations specific enough to identify the client or matter.
7. **Document metadata**: author name, editor names, tracked changes, comments, creation date, and software version embedded in Word and PDF files.

Replace removed text with generic labels: "[Technology Company]", "[Former Employee]", "[Settlement Value Withheld]", "[Midwest Federal Court]". The label should indicate the category of information, not the content.

## When redaction may not be enough

[ABA Model Rule 1.6](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) prohibits revealing information relating to a client's representation without informed consent, except in specified circumstances. Redaction reduces identifying detail but does not automatically eliminate the confidentiality obligation. If the remaining context would allow the client, opposing counsel, or others with knowledge of the matter to identify it, disclosure may still require consent.

The [ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/) has addressed this in formal opinions on social media and firm marketing. The key test is whether the information, taken together with other available information, could reasonably lead to identification of the client or matter.

## Metadata is part of the document

A Word document submitted as a writing sample with "redactions" made using white text boxes or white highlighting still contains the original text in the file. Anyone who opens the document in an editor that shows hidden formatting will see the client name. Metadata stripping must be part of the workflow. Remove:

- Tracked changes and revision history
- Author and editor names in document properties
- Comments
- Hidden text
- Document creation and modification timestamps that narrow identity

## When to get consent instead

For high-profile matters or cases where the subject matter is distinctive enough that redaction cannot fully de-identify, written client consent is the cleaner path. Consent allows use of the actual facts, which often makes a stronger portfolio sample than a heavily redacted version.

RedactifyAI's custom entity rules let firms define matter-specific identifiers (internal case codes, proprietary reference numbers) in addition to the standard 40+ entity types, and the tool strips PDF and Word metadata as part of each redaction workflow.