Criminal defense lawyer marketing: what actually brings in cases

People don't shop for a criminal defense lawyer the way they shop for a will. Someone was just arrested or got a court letter, and that night they or their family search Google and call a few firms. They often hire the first one that answers and sounds like it knows what it's doing.

So marketing has two jobs: be found at that moment, and answer when they call.

Answer every call, day or night

Arrests don't happen during office hours. If an 11 pm call goes to voicemail, that family calls the next firm on the list.

• Have someone pick up after hours, or at least text back missed calls within a minute.
• Ask a few plain questions: what are the charges, which court, is there a court date, is the person in custody.
• Get the details to a lawyer fast, with a set call-back time.
• Never put case details in a text. Keep it to "We got your call. A lawyer will call you at 8 am."

Fix this before you spend more on ads. An ad that brings a call nobody answers is money lost.

Show up on Google for the charges you take

People search the charge plus the place: "DUI lawyer Van Nuys", "domestic violence attorney Los Angeles."

• One page on your website for each kind of case you take: DUI, drug charges, domestic violence, theft, record clearing. Say what happens next and how you help.
• Name the courts you actually appear in.
• Fill in your Google Business Profile completely: the right category, your hours, photos, and a number that rings your office.
• Check Avvo, Justia, Martindale and Yelp. An old or wrong phone number sends your calls to someone else.

Be careful with lots of small websites

Some firms run ten or twenty small sites, one per city or charge, all pointing back to the firm. Google calls these doorway pages, and its spam rules can push all of them down. One strong site with a real page for each type of case is safer and easier to measure.

Paid ads: try Google's Local Services Ads first

These put your firm in a box above the normal results, with a "Google Screened" badge once Google checks your license. You pay for each lead, not each click. Regular search ads work too, but criminal defense clicks are expensive, so run them only if you track which clicks became clients.

Ask every client for a review

Some will say no, because a public review can reveal they were charged. Ask anyway, once the case is closed. Never offer anything in return, and never ask only the happy ones. Google bans both.

Track which calls turn into hired clients

• Give each website and ad its own tracking number. Keep your real number on Google and the directories so it matches everywhere.
• Ask every new client "How did you find us?" and save the answer in your case software.
• Once a month, compare the two: which sources brought hired clients, and what each one cost.

After three months you'll know what to keep and what to cut.

Stay in touch with past clients, quietly

Past clients refer friends and family, but many don't want mail that reminds them of their case. Keep it discreet: a plain sender name, no case details, useful topics like clearing a record, and an easy way to unsubscribe.

Never promise a result

"We'll get it dismissed" breaks the advertising rules of most state bars. The lawyer approves every ad, post and page before it goes out.