Checklist
What to ask before hiring a family law or estate planning marketing agency
The right questions separate an agency that produces calls from one that produces reports. Use this list on every sales call, including ours. Where it helps, we note how we answer.
Practice-specific detail: family law marketing and estate planning marketing.
Fit and focus
- 1.
Do you specialize in family law or estate planning firms?
Why it matters: A specialist already knows how people search in a divorce, a custody fight, or after a death in the family. A good answer names the practice areas they work in and shows real pages built for them.
How we answer: We work only with family law and estate planning firms.
- 2.
How many firms in my market and practice area do you take on?
Why it matters: Ranking two competing firms for the same searches creates a conflict. A good answer is a clear, written policy, not a sales line.
Pricing and contracts
- 3.
Is your pricing published?
Why it matters: If you cannot see the price before the sales call, you cannot compare agencies fairly.
How we answer: Our programs are published: $1,750, $2,750, $4,750 per month.
- 4.
Is there an activation or setup fee, and what does it cover?
Why it matters: Setup work is real, but you should know exactly what it pays for.
How we answer: A one-time $1,497 activation fee covers strategy, baseline research, access and tracking review, priority mapping, platform setup, and the first wave of improvements.
- 5.
Is ad spend separate, and is it paid directly to the platforms?
Why it matters: Ad budget mixed into a management fee hides how much actually reaches Google or Meta.
How we answer: Paid Ads budget is separate from our fee and paid directly to the platforms.
- 6.
What is quoted separately?
Why it matters: Surprise invoices usually come from work nobody defined up front.
How we answer: Every program includes one office location. Additional locations, website redesigns, photography, video, legal review and other work outside scope are quoted separately.
- 7.
What are the contract terms?
Why it matters: Know the length, the notice period, and what happens when you leave. A good answer is in writing before you sign.
How we answer: Your agreement confirms exact scope, responsibilities, timeline, and terms before work begins.
Work and ownership
- 8.
Who owns the website, Google Business Profile, ad accounts, analytics, and content?
Why it matters: If the agency owns them, leaving means starting over. A good answer is that your firm owns its accounts and the agency is granted access.
Reporting and measurement
- 9.
What do you track?
Why it matters: Rankings and impressions are not cases. A good answer covers calls, form fills, and consultations.
- 10.
Do you track phone calls and form submissions?
Why it matters: Most family law and estate planning leads arrive by phone or form. Without tracking, nobody knows which channel produced them.
- 11.
How often do you report, and how often do we talk strategy?
Why it matters: A report nobody discusses changes nothing.
How we answer: Every program includes a monthly report and a monthly strategy call (30, 45 or 60 minutes depending on the program).
Ethics and compliance
- 12.
Do you guarantee rankings or leads?
Why it matters: A guarantee is a red flag. Nobody controls how Google, an AI tool, or a prospective client behaves.
How we answer: We do not guarantee rankings, leads, cases or AI recommendations.
- 13.
How do you handle attorney advertising rules?
Why it matters: Ads, testimonials and claims are regulated for lawyers. A good answer explains how copy is reviewed and that the firm approves claims before they run.
- 14.
How do you get reviews?
Why it matters: Fake, bought or gated reviews put your profile at risk. A good answer is a simple, honest process for asking real clients.
- 15.
Will you create map listings at addresses where we do not have an office?
Why it matters: Fake or virtual addresses for map listings are against Google's guidelines. The right answer is no.
AI search
- 16.
How do you help the firm show up in AI answers?
Why it matters: The honest answer is proof, not tricks: accurate firm information, truthful structured data, real attorney credentials, and direct answers to client questions.
How we answer: We build those signals and do not tell firms an AI tool can be forced to recommend them.
Every number above comes from our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions.
What is the most important question to ask a law firm marketing agency?
Ask what they track and report. If the answer is rankings and impressions instead of calls, forms and consultations, you will not know whether the work is producing cases.
Is it a red flag if an agency guarantees rankings or leads?
No. No ethical agency can guarantee how Google, an answer engine, or a prospective client will behave. We build strategic, documented, measured work around the factors your firm can control.
Should ad spend be included in the agency fee?
It is cleaner when it is not. When ad budget is paid directly to the platforms, you can see exactly what reaches Google or Meta and what you pay the agency.
Who should own our website and marketing accounts?
Your firm. The agency should be granted access to your website, Google Business Profile, ad accounts and analytics so nothing is lost if you change agencies.