Augment LeadsPart of our guide on how to grow a personal injury law firm.
What are the main case acquisition channels?
| Channel | How it works | Main ABA rule |
|---|---|---|
| Referral or co-counsel | Another lawyer refers a case and may share the fee | Rule 1.5(e), fee division |
| Your own advertising | Ads, website and search bring inquiries to you | Rule 7.2(b)(1), reasonable costs of ads |
| Lead generation | A vendor delivers inquiries from people who asked to be contacted | Rule 7.2, Comment 5 |
| Buying a practice | Acquiring another lawyer's practice | Rule 7.2(b)(3) and Rule 1.17 |
| Paying for recommendations | Paying someone to recommend your firm | Barred by Rule 7.2(b), with listed exceptions |
| Live solicitation | Calling or visiting people who didn't ask | Restricted by Rule 7.3 |
How do lawyer referrals and co-counsel work?
ABA Model Rule 1.5(e) allows lawyers in different firms to divide a fee if the division is in proportion to the services each performs, or each lawyer takes joint responsibility for the representation. The client must agree to the arrangement, including each lawyer's share, and the agreement must be confirmed in writing. The total fee must be reasonable.
What can a firm pay a lead generator for?
Comment 5 to ABA Model Rule 7.2 says a lawyer may pay others for generating client leads, such as internet-based leads, as long as the lead generator doesn't recommend the lawyer, any payment is consistent with Rules 1.5(e) and 5.4, and the lead generator's communications are consistent with Rule 7.1. The comment adds that a lawyer must not pay a lead generator that implies it's recommending the lawyer, that it's referring without payment, or that it has analyzed the person's legal problem to choose the lawyer.
Use our questions to ask a legal lead vendor checklist before you buy.
This guide is general information for law firms, not legal advice. Your state's version of the ethics rules and your own counsel have the final say.
How do you build a case acquisition system?
- Choose the case types and states you want to acquire.
- List every channel you use now and tag each inquiry with its source.
- Put referral and co-counsel terms in writing, following your state's fee-division rule.
- Pick paid channels that fit your intake capacity: ads, an agency or a lead source. See PI marketing agency vs pay per lead.
- Answer every inquiry within minutes with a written script. See speed-to-lead intake scripts.
- Review signed cases and cost per signed case by channel every month.
How do you measure case acquisition?
For each channel, divide what you spent on it in a period by the cases you signed from it in the same period. Compare that cost per signed case with the outcomes of the cases each channel brings. A channel with more inquiries but fewer signed cases may cost more than it looks.
Where exclusive cases fit
Exclusive leads are one source of new cases, not a whole growth plan. They pay off most once your intake can answer fast and you know which cases you want.
Exclusive MVA cases
Augment Leads runs its own car accident campaigns nationwide. The injured person fills in the form, and each MVA lead goes to one firm only, with an SMS-verified phone and a TrustedForm certificate, delivered to your CRM or intake team in real time. You choose the states and accident types you take.
Exclusive workers' comp cases
Each workers' comp lead comes from a person hurt on the job who filled in the form themselves. It's screened for whether they were injured while working, whether they reported it and whether they already have a lawyer, then sent to one firm only. Unqualified leads are replaced under your agreement.
Augment Leads is a Canada-based company, founded in 2025, that serves US law firms nationwide and is trusted by over 50 law firms. You pay per lead, with no agency retainer and no minimum term. See how it works or read the FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
What does case acquisition mean for a law firm?
It's how a firm brings in new signed clients: referrals and co-counsel from other lawyers, its own advertising and marketing, and paid lead sources. Each channel has its own ethics rules.
Can a lawyer pay for personal injury referrals?
Paying someone to recommend a lawyer is barred by ABA Model Rule 7.2(b), with listed exceptions. Fee sharing with another lawyer is allowed under Rule 1.5(e) if its conditions are met, including the client's agreement confirmed in writing.
Is buying leads the same as paying for referrals?
No. Comment 5 to ABA Model Rule 7.2 allows paying for client leads as long as the lead generator doesn't recommend the lawyer or imply it analyzed the person's legal problem to choose the lawyer.
What is the most common case acquisition channel for PI firms?
It varies by firm and market. Track signed cases by channel in your own CRM, since your own data shows which channels sign cases for you.
How should a firm compare case acquisition channels?
By cost per signed case: what you spent on a channel divided by the cases signed from it in the same period, alongside the outcomes of those cases.