The short answer
Don’t switch a vendor off on day one. Read your notice terms, set up accounts in your own name, run your own ads alongside the vendor, and compare cost per signed case from your own case list. Turn the vendor down only when your own channels have signed enough cases to judge. Keep the caller list and recordings you are owed.
Don’t switch a vendor off on day one. The safe way out is to build marketing you own alongside the vendor, compare both on the same sum, and turn the vendor down only when your own numbers are clear. Five steps, in order. (Why own instead of rent? See pay per signed case vs owning your marketing.)
Step 1: What does your contract say about leaving?
Find three things in your contract before you do anything else: the notice period, any minimum term or exit fee, and what the vendor must give you when you leave. Write the last day you can give notice on your calendar. If the contract says nothing about recordings or caller lists, ask for them now, while you’re still a customer. Not signed yet? Ask these ten questions first.
Step 2: Are your accounts in your own name?
Set up or reclaim every account in the firm’s name before you spend a dollar on ads. That means your Google Business Profile, a Google Ads account, a website and domain, and call tracking. If a vendor or old agency holds any of them, get ownership moved to you first.
Google allows “only one primary owner” per Business Profile, and only owners can add or remove users (Google). Make sure that owner is someone at your firm. Our ownership checklist goes account by account.
Step 3: How do you run your own ads alongside the vendor?
Start small, in your own accounts, aimed at the cases you want most. Search ads and Google’s Local Services ads (the Google Verified ads at the top of a search, paid per lead) reach people who are looking for a lawyer now. Keep the vendor running at its current level, so new clients keep coming while your own channels learn.
Two cautions:
- Phones first. Google charges a missed Local Services call during business hours if “the customer stays on the line for more than 20 seconds” (Google). List only hours you can answer.
- No promises. Nobody can tell you in advance how many cases your own ads will bring. Anyone who does is guessing.
Step 4: How do you compare the vendor with your own marketing?
Use one sum for both: what you paid, divided by the cases signed, counted from your own case list. For your own marketing, add ad spend, agency fees and tools. For the vendor, use the full bill. Wait for late signings before judging a month.
| Line | The vendor | Your own marketing |
|---|---|---|
| What you paid | The full bill, after credits | Ad spend plus agency fee plus tools |
| Signed cases | From your case list | From your case list |
| Cost per signed case | Paid divided by signed | Paid divided by signed |
| What you keep if you stop | Clients already signed | Everything: accounts, pages, data, reviews |
The printable rent-or-own worksheet has these lines, one column per source.
Step 5: When do you turn the vendor down?
Step the vendor down in stages, not all at once, and only after your own channels have a track record you trust. Lower the vendor’s volume, watch your signed cases for a few weeks, then lower it again. If signed cases drop, pause and look at intake before you blame either source.
Write the rule down before you start: what you will compare, over how long, and what result means you turn the vendor down. That keeps the decision about your numbers, not about whoever made the last sales call.
What this means for your firm
- Read your notice terms this week, and ask for recordings and caller lists while you’re still a customer.
- Put every account in your name before you spend on ads.
- Overlap, compare, then step down, using cost per signed case from your own case list.
Probative runs ads and SEO in your own accounts for a flat monthly fee, never per lead or per case; you can end it any month with 30 days’ notice (terms). Not sure where your firm stands today? Answer seven quick questions and you’ll see your stage and one package to start with.
Questions about this guide
How long should we run our own ads next to the vendor?
Until your own channels have signed enough cases to judge them, counted from your own case list. Nobody can tell you in advance how long that takes. Decide the test in writing first: what you will compare, and what result means you turn the vendor down.
Can we keep the leads the vendor already sent us?
The contact details you were sent are in your intake records already. Recordings, the list of people who called but weren’t sent to you, and the ads themselves usually stay with the vendor. You get them only if your contract says so, so ask before you give notice.
What if our phones can’t handle our own ad calls?
Fix that first. Your own ads bring calls at all hours you advertise, and Google charges some missed Local Services calls. List only the hours you can answer, and check your answer rate each week.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: owner and manager rolesAccessed October 25, 2026
- Google Local Services Ads Help: how leads are chargedAccessed October 25, 2026
- Probative: terms in plain EnglishAccessed October 25, 2026