Built by a former paralegal who tracks to signed cases, not lead counts.
Know Your Cost Per Signed Case Before You Scale
I spent 10 years inside a law firm watching which ads produced clients and which produced noise. Most agencies report leads because the number is always bigger. I track to signed cases because that’s what actually matters. If the math doesn’t work, I’ll tell you before you spend a dollar.
I don’t take competitors in your market.
What Your Agency Won’t Tell You
Most PPC agencies report clicks and leads because those numbers look impressive. But clicks don’t pay your bills. Leads don’t sign retainers. The only number that matters is: what did it cost to sign an actual client?
I’ve seen firms spend $10,000 a month on Google Ads and have no idea which cases came from it. Their agency sent pretty reports showing thousands of impressions and hundreds of clicks. But when I asked how many signed cases those clicks produced, nobody knew.
That’s not PPC management. That’s gambling with a dashboard.
How Law Firm PPC Actually Works
PPC for law firms isn’t like PPC for e-commerce. You’re not selling $50 products; you’re signing cases worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The math is different, the strategy is different, and the tracking needs to be different.
Google Ads vs Local
The Math
Tracking Cases
Google Ads vs Local Services Ads
Google Ads are traditional pay-per-click; you bid on keywords, pay when someone clicks. Local Services Ads (LSA) are the “Google Screened” results at the very top with the green checkmark. LSA charges per lead, not per click, and requires background verification. For most law firms, LSA converts better because trust signals are built in. But Google Ads give you more control over targeting and messaging.
The Math Has to Work
If your average case value is $200,000 and you’re spending $7,000 to sign one, that’s a great return. If your average case value is $5,000 and you’re spending $7,000 to sign one, you’re losing money. I run this math before we spend anything. Some practice areas don’t work for PPC; the cost per click is too high relative to case values. I’d rather tell you that upfront than take your money for something that won’t produce.
Tracking to Signed Cases
Most agencies track to leads; someone called or filled out a form. But a lead isn’t a client. If you’re getting 50 leads and signing 2 cases, your lead quality is garbage. I track the full funnel: ad spend → clicks → leads → consultations → signed cases → case value. That’s how you know if PPC is actually working.
Percy Martinez, P.A.
Percy’s LSA campaign: $14,478 in ad spend. 55 leads. 2 signed medical malpractice cases. That’s $7,239 per signed case; for cases worth well over $200,000 each.
More importantly, Percy shows above Morgan & Morgan in Local Services Ads for Hialeah.
They have 1.0 stars with one review. Percy has 4.7 stars with 98 reviews. You don’t need their budget to beat them. You need better reviews and smarter targeting.
Reviews feed PPC performance. Google Screened and LSA both display your star rating prominently. A firm with 4.8 stars and 100+ reviews will outperform a firm with 3.5 stars at the same bid. The work we did building Percy’s review profile directly improved ad performance.
The Platforms That Matter
Local Ads
Search Ads
Display Ads
Microsoft Ads
Local Services Ads (LSA)
The “Google Screened” results at the very top; above regular ads, above everything. You pay per lead, not per click. Requires background check and license verification. Displays your star rating prominently, so review quality directly affects performance. For most law firms, this is where the best leads come from.
Google Ads (Search)
Traditional pay-per-click on search results. More control over keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and targeting. Higher learning curve and more ways to waste money if not managed properly. Works well for specific practice areas and long-tail keywords where competition is lower.
Google Ads (Display/Retargeting)
Banner ads shown across websites to people who’ve visited your site before. Lower cost per click but also lower intent; these people aren’t actively searching for a lawyer. Useful for staying top of mind but rarely produces direct conversions. Supplementary, not primary.
Microsoft/Bing Ads
Same concept as Google Ads but on Bing’s search engine. Lower volume but often lower cost per click and less competition. Worth testing if Google Ads are performing well and you want to expand.
What I Do
Campaign Audit
Campaign Setup
LSA Management
Ongoing
Tracking
Campaign Audit
If you’re already running ads, I’ll audit what’s working and what’s wasting money. Keyword performance, match types, negative keywords, ad copy, landing pages, conversion tracking. Most accounts have obvious leaks that are easy to fix.
Campaign Setup
If you’re starting from scratch, I build campaigns focused on high value keywords for your practice areas. Proper structure, tight match types, conversion tracking that goes beyond leads to actual signed cases.
LSA Management
Getting Google Screened, optimizing your profile, managing your budget and lead preferences, disputing bad leads. LSA has its own quirks and requirements separate from regular Google Ads.
Ongoing Optimization
Weekly review of search terms, bid adjustments, negative keyword additions, ad copy testing. PPC isn’t set-and-forget; it’s constant refinement based on what the data shows.
Tracking Setup
Call tracking, form tracking, and a system to connect ad spend to signed cases. Without this, you’re guessing. With this, you know exactly what’s working and what isn’t.
PPC Works When the Math Works
The math on PPC is simple when you track properly.
Percy’s numbers: $14,478 spent, 2 signed med mal cases, $7,239 cost per signed case. Med mal cases average $200,000+ in value. That’s roughly 27x return on ad spend.
But here’s what matters: we know those numbers. Most firms running PPC have no idea what their cost per signed case is. They know cost per click. They might know cost per lead. But cost per signed case? Nobody’s tracking it.
When you track to signed cases, you can make real decisions. You can increase spend on campaigns that produce clients and cut campaigns that don’t. You can compare PPC to SEO to referrals and know which channel actually performs. Without that tracking, you’re guessing.
This Isn’t for Everyone
Works for:
Firms that need cases now; PPC can produce leads within days of launch. Practice areas with case values high enough to justify click costs; med mal, serious PI, business litigation. Firms willing to invest at least $5,000-10,000/month in ad spend to get meaningful data. Attorneys who want to know their exact cost per signed case.
Not for:
This isn’t right if your average case is under $10,000; the math won’t work and I’ll tell you that upfront. It’s not right if your intake can’t handle increased call volume. If you need profitable results on Day 1, be careful. PPC turns on instantly, but dialing in the cost-per-signed-case takes 60-90 days. If you panic in Month 1, we aren’t a fit.
What Happens First
PPC is not a light switch; it is a tuning process.
- Month 1: We launch and identify waste. Block solicitors, competitors, bot traffic. Stop the bleeding before optimizing anything.
- Month 2: Cut the keywords that bring clicks but don’t sign cases. Cost per lead stabilizes as we filter noise and double down on what’s working.
- Month 3: The math becomes clear. We shift from tracking clicks to tracking signed cases. You know exactly what a client costs. We decide together whether to scale.
What This Costs
We charge 20% of ad spend. We don’t scale unless the cost per signed case justifies it; if cost creeps above your threshold, we cut back or pause. Our fee only grows when your ROI grows. If the campaign isn’t producing, scaling spend would be stupid for both of us.
Minimum ad spend is $5,000 monthly. Miami, LA, New York run $10,000 to $15,000. Mid sized markets, $5,000 to $8,000. Below $5,000, Google doesn’t get enough data to optimize; you’ll just burn through it.
If the math doesn’t work for your market, I’ll tell you on the first call.
Jorge Argota
Who I Am. How I Work.
Ten years with one law firm: Percy Martinez, P.A. I managed budgets at Swatch Group before legal marketing; that discipline applies to every dollar of ad spend. I don’t spend your money hoping something works. I track everything, test constantly, and cut what isn’t performing.
Percy’s PPC campaign produced 2 signed med mal cases at $7,239 each. I know that because I tracked it. Most agencies couldn’t tell you that number for their clients.
Questions We Get Asked
How quickly can PPC generate leads?
Days. Once campaigns are live, you can start getting calls immediately. The limiting factor is usually account setup and verification; LSA requires Google Screened approval which takes 1-2 weeks. But once you’re live, leads can come the same day.
What’s the minimum budget?
For meaningful data in most markets, $5,000-10,000/month in ad spend minimum. Less than that and you’re not getting enough clicks to optimize. Competitive markets like Miami PI might need more. I’ll tell you what’s realistic for your practice area before we start.
What if it doesn’t work?
Then we figure out why. Sometimes the targeting is off. Sometimes the landing page isn’t converting. Sometimes the practice area just doesn’t work for PPC economically. If we can’t make the math work after 2-3 months of optimization, I’ll tell you to stop and put your money elsewhere.
Do you guarantee leads?
No. I can guarantee the work; proper setup, ongoing optimization, accurate tracking. I can’t guarantee how many people will search for your services or how many will call. What I can do is track everything so we both know whether it’s working.
What’s the difference between leads and signed cases?
Everything. A lead is someone who called or filled out a form. A signed case is someone who actually hired you. Most agencies report leads because the number is bigger. I track to signed cases because that’s what matters.
Do I own my Google Ads account?
Yes. Everything is set up in accounts you own. If we stop working together, you keep your campaigns, your data, your history. No hostage situations.
What reporting do I get?
Weekly updates during active optimization. Monthly detailed reports showing: ad spend, cost per click, cost per lead, cost per signed case (when trackable), which keywords performed, what changes we made. You’ll also have direct access to your accounts to verify everything.
How is this different from what big agencies offer?
I track to signed cases, not just leads. You work directly with me, not an account manager. You own all your accounts. I won’t take your competitors in your county. And I’ll tell you if PPC isn’t working instead of just collecting retainer.
What about LSA disputes?
Google charges for leads even when they’re garbage; wrong practice area, solicitors, tire-kickers. LSA lets you dispute bad leads for credit. I monitor lead quality and dispute charges that shouldn’t count. Most firms never bother, which means they overpay.
What if I only have $2,000-3,000 total budget?
Then we need to be strategic. That’s probably not enough for both Google Ads and LSA. We’d pick one platform, target a narrow set of high value keywords, and focus spend where it’s most likely to produce cases. It’s tight, but it can work if expectations are realistic.
See If The Math Works For Your Firm
Most firms have never calculated their true cost per signed case from PPC. I’ll look at your practice areas, your market, and your competition; and tell you honestly whether paid advertising makes sense for your firm.
No contracts. No obligation. Just the math.