Key takeaways
- Check advertising rules and approve wording before anything goes live.
- Set up tracking and a first-response process before you spend on ads.
- Start with one or two channels, measure signed cases, then expand.
- Licensing and trust-account rules are for your bar and counsel, not this checklist.
What do you need before you spend on marketing?
- Rules check. Read your state’s Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and ask whether ads must be filed or reviewed. See is it legal for lawyers to advertise.
- A clear website. Who you help, where, how to reach you, and a form that goes to a person.
- Verified local profile. A Google Business Profile with accurate name, address or service area, and hours.
- Tracking. A source field on every lead and a place to record outcomes. See the tracking guide.
- A first-response process. Who answers, how fast, and what happens after hours. See speed to lead.
- An intake script. See the intake process guide.
What should you start with?
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 30 | Rules check, website, profile, tracking, intake script | Foundations before spend |
| Days 31 to 60 | Referral outreach and one paid channel with a small budget | Learn what produces enquiries |
| Days 61 to 90 | Review signed cases by source and cost per signed case | Decide what to keep, change or stop |
How do you choose a first paid channel?
Compare the options in how personal injury lawyers get clients and in SEO or paid ads. Pick the one with the clearest path from lead to signed case and a budget you can afford to learn with.
What about licensing, insurance and trust accounts?
Those are regulated by your state bar and are not covered here. Ask your bar and ethics counsel before you open.
How can SouthSeas Marketing help?
We make and test the ads, and our AI voice assistant calls each new lead within minutes. The free growth audit looks at your plan and tells you where a new firm’s leads would slip through.
Want this worked out for your firm? The free 20-minute growth audit looks at your ads and how new leads are handled today, and you keep the written plan. Book my free growth audit.