Legal Services Marketing Checklist

Name the two or three practice areas the firm wants to be known for this quarter (e.g., plaintiff PI, immigration AOS, small-business transactional). Tie each to a target client profile and a referral source. Avoid claims of specialization unless your state bar permits the term — most states limit 'specialist' / 'expert' under Rule 7.4.

Pull the current version of your state's Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 through 7.5. Note required disclaimers ('Attorney Advertising', prior-results disclaimer), prohibited terms ('best', 'guaranteed'), and any pre-approval/filing requirements (Florida, Texas, New York and others have specific submission rules). Some states impose a 30-day post-incident solicitation ban for PI matters.

Confirm the tagline avoids comparative or superlative claims. Refresh logo, color palette, and attorney headshot standards if more than 18 months stale. Headshots should match across website, LinkedIn, and Martindale/Avvo profiles.

Decide whether website, SEO, and ad assets need a full rebuild this quarter or routine maintenance only. A 'major refresh' triggers the website and SEO audit phase below; 'maintenance' skips to content and intake work.

Run PageSpeed Insights and a mobile-usability scan. Confirm every attorney bio includes bar admissions, jurisdictions, and the required 'Attorney Advertising' / prior-results disclaimer. Broken contact forms are the most common bleed point — submit a test lead and confirm it lands in Lawmatics, Clio Grow, or whichever intake CRM the firm uses.

Each priority practice area gets a dedicated landing page with jurisdiction, fee structure (hourly / flat / contingency), and a clear CTA to schedule a consultation. Avoid testimonials in jurisdictions that prohibit them (e.g., Florida limits, Indiana restrictions).

Verify NAP (name, address, phone) consistency across Google Business Profile, Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, FindLaw, Justia, and the state bar directory. Inconsistent citations are the top cause of ranking loss in local pack results.

Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to track ranking on jurisdiction-qualified queries (e.g., 'Austin contingency PI lawyer', 'Brooklyn EB-2 attorney'). Generic terms like 'best lawyer' rarely convert and may run afoul of Rule 7.1.

Map one substantive blog post per attorney per month tied to a priority practice area. Pull topics from recent client questions, recent appellate decisions in your jurisdiction, and pending legislation. Avoid 'legal advice' framing — keep posts informational with a clear no-attorney-client-relationship disclaimer.

Each draft goes through partner review for legal accuracy and Rule 7.1 / 7.2 compliance before publication. Cite cases and statutes by full reporter or code citation. Add the firm's standard advertising disclaimer in the footer.

Pick one: a downloadable whitepaper gated behind an intake form, a co-branded CLE with a local bar association, or a recorded webinar. Long-form drives referral-source mindshare in a way blog posts don't.

Each long-form asset becomes 4-6 LinkedIn posts from the responsible attorney's personal profile (firm pages get poor reach) and one client/referral newsletter via Mailchimp or HubSpot.

List state bar section meetings, county bar luncheons, and practice-area CLEs each attorney plans to attend. Tag events that double as CLE-credit opportunities so attendance also closes ethics or general hours.

Each partner books at least three coffees or calls with referral sources — co-counsel, opposing-side bar friends, CPAs, financial advisors, and prior-client champions. Track these in the firm CRM (Lawmatics, Clio Grow, or HubSpot) so they don't fall off the radar.

Pick one pro bono engagement (legal aid, ABA Free Legal Answers) and one local sponsorship aligned with target client profile. Both build pipeline; pro bono hours also count toward Rule 6.1 aspirational goals.

Pull the last 90 days of leads from the intake CRM. Calculate lead → consult, consult → engagement, and source-to-engagement conversion. A common gotcha: intake bottlenecks at the conflict-check step because the intake specialist can't reach the responsible attorney within 48 hours.

Send a short survey to clients whose matters closed in the last quarter. Ask separately for a Google review only where the state bar permits solicited reviews and the matter outcome was positive. Do not script or pre-write reviews — that violates Rule 7.1 in every state.

Segment former clients into referral champions, dormant matters that may need a follow-up, and estate-planning/contract clients due for a periodic review. Confirm each contact is still solicitation-eligible under your state's Rule 7.3.

Allocate Google Ads and LinkedIn / Meta budget by practice area, weighted by case value and conversion rate from the prior quarter. PI and family law typically justify higher CPCs; transactional rarely does.

Managing partner reviews every ad creative for Rule 7.1 (no false/misleading), Rule 7.2 (required 'Attorney Advertising' label and firm name), and any state-specific filing requirement. In Florida, ads must be filed with The Florida Bar within 20 days of first dissemination unless exempt.

A four-email sequence over 30 days for prospects who consulted but didn't sign. Reference the matter type loosely (no privileged facts), point to relevant content, and end with a fee-clarity note. Honor unsubscribes within one business day per CAN-SPAM.

Managing partner reviews lead volume, conversion, cost-per-engagement, and source attribution against goals. Capture decisions for next quarter (continue, expand, cut) and a dated signature for the firm record.