The short answer
An exclusive lead is a person sent to your firm alone. A shared lead is sold to several firms, and the fastest caller usually wins. Vendors sell both, and the word 'exclusive' is hard to check. Ask for the source, the time of first contact and the recording. Leads from ads in your own accounts are only yours by design.
An exclusive lead goes to your firm alone. A shared lead is sold to several firms at once. Both are common, and “exclusive” is a word you can’t take on trust. This guide explains the difference, how to check it, and why leads from your own ads are the only kind that are yours by design.
What is the difference between exclusive and shared leads?
An exclusive lead is a person’s details sold to one firm. A shared lead is the same person’s details sold to two or more firms. Shared leads cost less per lead, but several firms race to call the same person. Exclusive leads cost more and still don’t stop the person from calling other lawyers.
| Type of lead | Who else gets the person | Who holds the record | What decides who signs them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared lead | Other firms that bought the same lead | The vendor | Mostly who calls back first |
| Exclusive lead | No other buyer, if the vendor's promise holds | The vendor | Your callback, your intake and your offer |
| A call from your own ad | Nobody is sold the lead; the person may still shop around | You | Your callback, your intake and your offer |
How can you check that a lead is really exclusive?
Ask for proof you can check yourself, not a promise. A vendor that sells true exclusives can show you the ad, the time of first contact and the recording. Then listen to your own intake calls: people often say they’ve already heard from other firms.
Five checks:
- The source. Ask for the ad, page or video each lead came from, with the date.
- The clock. Ask for the time the person first made contact, and compare it with when the lead reached you. A gap of hours is a warning sign.
- The recording. Ask for the recording of the call or the form the person filled in.
- The caller. Ask every new caller, “Have other law firms contacted you about this?” and log the answer.
- The contract. Get “exclusive” defined in writing, with a credit if a lead turns out to be shared.
The ten questions to ask a lead vendor cover the rest of the contract.
What do Google and Meta say about selling leads?
Both forbid it in their own lead products. Meta’s lead-ad terms say an advertiser may not sell lead-form data at all. Google’s Local Services rules say advertisers can’t sell or pass leads to other businesses. A vendor that resells leads from these products has to explain how.
The words, from the platforms’ own pages:
- Meta: “You may not sell Lead Generation Data under any circumstances.” An agency receiving leads for one advertiser “may not augment, commingle, or supplement such Lead Generation Data with any other data from any other advertiser” (Meta Lead Ads Terms).
- Google Local Services: advertisers “cannot sell or pass leads to other businesses” (Google).
Local Services ads are still pay per lead, but the leads come to your own account. Google charges a missed call during business hours when “the customer stays on the line for more than 20 seconds” (Google), so staff your phones for the hours you list.
Does the bar care whether a lead is shared?
The bar rules care more about how you pay, and what the vendor tells the person, than about how many firms buy the lead. Bars generally accept a set price per lead from a vendor that doesn’t recommend you. If the price changes when the person hires you, check your state’s rule first.
New York’s ethics committee allows paying a lead platform only if the platform doesn’t recommend you, uses neutral criteria, and “the payment by the lawyer does not vary depending on whether a retention results or on the amount of any resulting fee” (NYSBA Opinion 1294). Our guide to pay per signed case vs owning your marketing covers the rest.
How do you compare exclusive, shared and your own ads fairly?
Use the same sum for each: what you paid that source, divided by the cases it signed, counted from your own case list. Leave a few months for late signings. Then add one more line: what you keep if you stop paying. For your own ads, that’s everything.
The printable rent-or-own worksheet has one column per source. If your own ads win, here is how to leave a vendor without a gap. Not sure where your firm stands today? Answer seven quick questions and you’ll see your stage and one package to start with.
What this means for your firm
- Define “exclusive” in the contract, with a credit if a lead turns out to be shared.
- Ask every caller whether other firms have contacted them, and log the answer.
- Judge every source on cost per signed case, not cost per lead.
Questions about this guide
Are exclusive leads worth more than shared leads?
Only if they sign more often for the price. Work out the cost per signed case for each, from your own case list, over a few months. A cheap shared lead that never signs costs more than an exclusive one that does.
Can a vendor sell the same Facebook lead to several firms?
Meta’s terms say an advertiser may not sell lead-form data, and an agency handling leads for one advertiser may not mix them with another advertiser’s data. If a vendor’s leads come from Meta lead forms, ask how it squares resale with those terms.
Are Google Local Services leads exclusive?
They come to your own Local Services account, and Google’s rules say advertisers can’t sell or pass those leads to other businesses. The person may still call other firms on the same page, so speed still matters.
Sources
- Meta, Lead Ads Terms, section E (do not sell; affiliate and agency use)Accessed October 25, 2026
- Google Local Services Ads policies: lead sellingAccessed October 25, 2026
- Google Local Services Ads Help: how leads are chargedAccessed October 25, 2026
- NYSBA Committee on Professional Ethics, Opinion 1294 (March 2026): lead generatorsAccessed October 25, 2026