The short answer
Before you sign with a lead seller or a case vendor, ask where each case comes from, how the vendor proves it’s only yours, what its ads and call scripts say about you, whether your price changes when someone hires you, whether your state makes it register, and what you keep if you stop. Get every answer in writing.
Ask ten plain questions, and get every answer in writing. A vendor with nothing to hide answers each one easily. The questions below work for anyone who sells you leads, calls or signed cases.
Where does each case or lead come from?
Ask for the source of every lead: the ad, the page, the phone number and the time of first contact. A vendor that runs its own ads can show you each one. If it buys leads from other sellers, it should say so, because then nobody may know what the person was told.
Ask to see:
- the ads, pages and videos that bring people in, in every language;
- a sample of call recordings, including calls you didn’t get;
- the date and time of first contact for each lead, so you can see how fresh it is.
Does the vendor recommend you to the person?
Read the vendor’s ads and call script for words like “top rated”, “vetted” or “we chose the best lawyer for you”. The model rule lets you pay for leads only when the vendor doesn’t recommend you, doesn’t share your fee, and doesn’t mislead the people it finds. Words that make a person think the vendor picked you on merit are the warning sign.
The ABA wording, as Georgia adopted it, says a lawyer must not pay a lead generator that “states, implies, or creates a reasonable impression that it is recommending the lawyer” (Supreme Court of Georgia). Google also bars “an affiliate marketer advertising legal services without disclosing that they do not provide legal services” (Google), so ask how the vendor’s ads say who they are.
Does your price change if the person hires you?
Ask whether you pay more, less or nothing depending on whether the person signs, or on the size of the case. Bars generally accept a set price per lead. A price for each signed case is where states differ. A share of your fee is fee-sharing with a nonlawyer, which New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida have each ruled out.
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 lists what other states say.
Does your state treat the vendor as a referral service?
Ask which of your state’s rules the vendor follows, and check its answer with your bar. Some states treat a service that sends particular people to particular lawyers as a referral service, whatever it calls itself, and set their own conditions before you can pay it. Where your state requires registration, ask for proof you can check.
- Missouri: the rule covers any service that refers particular clients to particular lawyers, “regardless of the name or characterization of the activities or fees used by the service” (Informal Opinion 2025-05). Pay only a service registered with the state’s Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel.
- Texas: “A person may not operate a lawyer referral service in this state unless the person holds a certificate” (Texas Occupations Code §952.101). Texas still lets lawyers pay lead generators that don’t recommend them; the certificate rule is for referral services.
- Florida: there is no registration, but a lead provider must meet conditions, including having “lawyers from at least 4 different law firms participating” (Florida Bar handbook).
Our state rules library has the referral and lead rule for every state.
What are the ten questions, with good and bad answers?
Bring this table to the sales call. A good answer is specific, and the vendor will put it in the contract. A warning sign is a vague answer, a refusal to put it in writing, or an answer that changes later. If you see one, call your state bar’s ethics line before you sign.
| Question | A good answer | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Where does each lead come from? | Named ads and pages, with dates, that you can see | "Our network" or "proprietary sources" |
| Is it only mine? | A written promise, with proof such as recordings | "Exclusive" with no way to check (see how to check, below) |
| What do your ads and scripts say about me? | Copies you can read, with no ranking or vetting claims | "Top rated" or "we pick the best lawyer" |
| Does my price change if they hire me? | No. One set price per lead | More when the case signs or is worth more |
| Which of my state's rules apply to you? | A clear answer, with proof you can check with your bar | No answer, or "we don't need to" with no reason |
| Who talks to the person, and what do they say? | A script you approve, and recordings you can hear | No script, or staff who discuss the case |
| What counts as a bad lead, and how do I get credit? | A written list, a set number of days, credits on the invoice | "Case by case" |
| How do you count my results? | From my case list, not yours | Only your own dashboard |
| How long is the contract, and how do I leave? | Short notice, no exit fee | Long terms and automatic renewals |
| What do I keep if I stop? | Recordings, caller lists and anything with my name | Nothing |
What do you keep if you stop?
Usually only the clients already signed. The ads, pages, phone numbers and the people who called but didn’t sign stay with the vendor. That list of callers is often the most valuable part. Ask for it in the contract, along with every recording of a call about your firm.
If you would rather own all of it, the alternative is ads, a Google profile and a website in your own name. The rent-or-own worksheet helps you compare the two on the same sum. To check whether a vendor’s leads are really yours alone, see exclusive vs shared leads. Already with a vendor? See how to leave without a gap in new clients. 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
- Get the answers in writing before you sign, and keep them with the contract.
- Read the vendor’s ads and scripts yourself. What they say about you is your problem too.
- Compare on cost per signed case (what you paid, divided by the clients who signed), counted from your own case list, using the worksheet.
Questions about this guide
How do I know if a lead source is ethical?
Read what the vendor tells the people it finds. If its ads or call scripts say it picked, vetted or recommends you, that is the part bars forbid you to pay for. Then check whether your price changes when someone hires you, and whether your state makes the vendor register.
Should a vendor’s staff sign my clients?
Ask your state bar before you agree to it. Who explains your fee agreement to a new client, and what they say, is your responsibility as the lawyer. At the least, ask for the call script and recordings, and read the fee agreement the vendor uses.
What is a fair refund or credit policy for bad leads?
One that is written into the contract, names what counts as a bad lead (wrong number, no matter, out of area, already has a lawyer), gives you a set number of days to report it, and shows every credit on the invoice.
Sources
- Supreme Court of Georgia, order of November 18, 2025: Rule 7.2 comment 5 on lead generators (ABA model wording)Accessed October 25, 2026
- NYSBA Committee on Professional Ethics, Opinion 1294 (March 2026): lead generatorsAccessed October 25, 2026
- Missouri Office of Legal Ethics Counsel, Informal Opinion 2025-05Accessed October 25, 2026
- Tex. Occ. Code §952.101 (certificate required for a lawyer referral service)Accessed October 25, 2026
- The Florida Bar, Handbook on Lawyer Advertising and Solicitation (December 2025): qualifying providers, Rule 4-7.22Accessed October 25, 2026
- Google Ads policy: misleading representationAccessed October 25, 2026
- Probative: lawyer advertising rules by stateAccessed October 25, 2026