Dated October 24, 2026. Since October 1, 2026, Google can charge a law firm for a Local Services call that nobody answered. Before, a missed call usually cost nothing unless the firm called back. Now the hours a firm lists decide what it pays for. This note covers what changed, what it means for a firm, and what to check this week. The full channel is in our Local Services Ads guide.
What changed
Google’s billing page now lists a missed call as a charged lead when two things are true (Google):
- the call arrives during your business hours, meaning the hours on your Google Business Profile; and
- the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds.
If your ad schedule differs from your profile hours, charges apply only inside both. Missed calls outside business hours, and callers who hang up within 20 seconds, are not charged (same source).
Trade coverage adds two details that Google’s page does not state, so treat them as unconfirmed: on lines with a key-press menu, the 20 seconds reportedly start after the key press, and repeat calls from the same person within 15 days are charged once (Relevant Audience, secondary). Advertisers were told on August 24, 2026 (TechWyse, secondary).
Why it matters for law firms
Many firms miss a lot of calls. In Clio’s 2024 secret-shopper study of 500 firms, only 40% answered the phone (Clio, via 2Civility). A firm that lists itself as open 24 hours but staffs weekdays will now pay for evening, overnight and weekend calls that ring out.
There is a second cost. Google’s ranking page says responsiveness affects how often you show, and that missed calls may hurt it (Google). So a missed call can cost a lead fee and some future visibility at the same time.
What to check this week
| Check | Where | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Listed hours against staffed hours | Business Profile hours; your phone system’s answer log | They match, block by block |
| Missed calls since October 1 | The Local Services lead list; your own call log | Each missed call marked, with whether the caller held past 20 seconds |
| Phone menu | Your phone system | No menu in front of Local Services calls, or one short choice |
| Ad schedule | Local Services settings | Only hours someone can answer |
| Who calls back, and how fast | Intake rules | A named person, within minutes, every time |
Then pick one of two fixes. List fewer hours, if after-hours cases aren’t worth staffing for. Or staff the hours you list, with an answering service or an on-call rotation, if they are. Injury and criminal defense firms often choose the second, because urgent callers tend to hire whoever answers. Our guide has a worked exposure worksheet, labeled ILLUSTRATIVE, that puts a monthly dollar figure on each option.
What this means for your firm
- The hours on your Business Profile are now a billing setting. Treat a change to them like a budget change, approved by a partner.
- Your intake log is the evidence. Keep a row for every Local Services lead, including missed ones, so you can audit charges and credits. Our intake guide has a scorecard for the calls you do answer.
- Judge the channel on cost per signed case, not cost per lead. Billed missed calls raise the first without adding a single case.
If Google changes the rule again, we will add a dated update to this note rather than rewrite it.
Marketing information, not legal advice. Your Local Services profile is lawyer advertising under your state’s rules; check with your bar and your own counsel.