Criminal defense law firm marketing
Marketing for criminal defense law firms
The first call after an arrest often comes from a parent or partner, late at night, with a booking number and little else. The firm that answers, explains the next step and books a consultation usually gets hired.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
Free 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no pressure.
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Criminal defense marketing works when a firm is visible within hours of an arrest, answers the phone at night, and looks credible to a frightened relative who has never hired a lawyer.
For most criminal defense firms we start with AI search and the Google Business Profile, add Local Services Ads in the US, and use Google search ads for specific charges. One solo who takes criminal and DUI cases generated $13,500 from $600 in ad spend on Local Services Ads within 12 days.
The other half is intake: who answers at 1 a.m., what they can say about bail and the first court date, and how fast a consultation gets booked. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
How criminal defense clients choose
The person calling is often not the person charged.
Someone has just been arrested, and a relative is searching on their behalf. They want to know what happens next, how to get the person home, and whether you will pick up.
- The search happens at night
Searches like "criminal lawyer near me" or "lawyer for assault charge" happen from a phone at 11 p.m. or on a Sunday, while the family waits to hear about bail. A firm that shows up and answers then is often the only one they reach.
- The family is the buyer
A parent or partner usually finds the firm, makes the first call and often pays the fee. Your website and your intake person have to explain the process to someone who has never been inside a courthouse.
- Calls from jail are short
When the person charged calls from jail, the conversation is brief and usually can't be returned. Whoever picks up needs to take the details, explain the next step and set the follow-up in that one call.
- Stigma keeps the search private
Many people won't ask friends to recommend a criminal lawyer the way they would for a will or a house closing. That pushes them to Google, AI answers and reviews, so reviews that describe calm, clear advice carry a lot of weight in this practice.
Channels that fit
Which channels fit a criminal defense firm, and why.
We usually start with AI search and the Business Profile, because they keep working at 2 a.m. without a daily budget, then add the paid channels that catch people the same day they need help.
- AI search
Families now ask ChatGPT or Google's AI answers what happens after an arrest and which criminal lawyer to call. The answers draw on your Business Profile, reviews and pages that name each charge in plain words. Our guide on showing up in ChatGPT explains how the tools pick.
- Local Services Ads
In the US, "Criminal lawyer services" is its own category, and screening includes a state bar license check for each lawyer. You pay per lead, and Google says missed calls may hurt your responsiveness, which feeds ranking. When calls come at night, your answering setup is part of your ad cost. Start with getting Google Verified.
- Google search ads
Search ads let you pick the charges you take, such as assault, drug possession or federal cases, and block searches for public defenders, inmate lookups and mugshots, which bring clicks from people who aren't hiring. Each charge needs its own landing page.
- Facebook and Instagram ads
People rarely scroll social media hunting for a criminal lawyer, so we use Meta mostly to stay in front of people who already visited your site, and for less urgent matters like record sealing where your state allows it.
- Running criminal next to another practice
Many criminal firms also take family or DUI work. One firm that handles both family law and criminal defense ran parallel campaigns for each practice and opened a second office to handle the volume.
| Matter | Usually starts with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest in the last 24 hours | Local Services Ads, Google Business Profile | A relative calls the first credible firm that answers |
| Named charges (assault, drugs, theft) | Google search ads, AI search | People search the charge by name and want a page about it |
| Federal or white-collar investigations | AI search, referrals, reputation | Clients research for weeks and ask other lawyers |
| Record sealing, warrants, probation issues | AI search, Facebook and Instagram ads | Less urgent; people read and compare before calling |
Rules that shape it
Arrest lists, staff calls and the word "specialist".
Advertising to the public is fine. Phoning people because you know they were just arrested is not, and the rule reaches your staff and your marketers too.
- ABA Formal Opinion 501 (April 13, 2022) takes the case of a lawyer who gets a list of people arrested in the last week from the sheriff and phones them offering legal services. Its answer: that is prohibited solicitation under Model Rule 7.3(b).
- The same opinion says lawyers answer for live solicitation by people they employ or retain (Rules 5.3 and 8.4(a)), and that failing to train them on Rule 7.3 may itself break the rules.
- The comment to Rule 7.3 says a website, a banner ad or an automatic search result is not solicitation, because it is aimed at the general public.
- ABA Model Rule 7.2(c): a lawyer may say they are a certified specialist only if the certifying organization is state-approved or ABA-accredited and is named in the communication. State versions differ, so check yours.
- In Canada, the Federation of Law Societies' Model Code says a lawyer must not advertise as a specialist unless the law society has certified them (rule 4.3-1), and must not take advantage of someone who is vulnerable or has suffered a traumatic experience (rule 4.1-2). Its commentary allows a lawyer to help when a close relative or friend makes the contact.
In short: ads and pages about arrests are fine, cold calls to an arrest list are not, and anyone who phones people for you needs training. This is a summary for marketing planning, not legal advice.
Intake
Where criminal defense firms lose clients after the phone rings.
Most lost criminal clients we see were lost at the phone: a missed night call, a relative who couldn't get a straight answer about the next step, or a consultation nobody booked.
Nobody answers after hours
If your line goes to voicemail at night, the family calls the next name on the list. A trained answering service or an on-call lawyer with a short arrest script is usually the first fix. On Local Services Ads, a missed call during your business hours and ad schedule is still charged if the caller stays on the line more than 20 seconds.
The caller isn't the client
Intake has to answer a relative's questions about bail and the next court date without promising an outcome, and collect only what you need to check conflicts. When the relative will pay, ABA Model Rule 1.8(f) allows it only with the client's informed consent, no interference with the lawyer's judgment, and the client's information kept confidential.
No booking in the first conversation
Setting a consultation time during the first call, then confirming it by text, beats promising a callback that lands after another firm has been hired.
No record of which charges sign
Mark each lead as hired, not hired or not a fit, by charge. That shows whether DUI, assault or federal inquiries are paying for the ads. Our guide to measuring law firm intake covers the numbers to track.
When intake holds up, leads turn into clients fast. One established criminal defense firm hit record months inside three weeks of going live, and a family and criminal firm signed its first client within a few hours of launch.
See it for your firm
See what we work toward for your firm.
Pick "Criminal Defense" in the demo on our Local Services Ads page, add your firm and city, and see how a defense firm's listing could look to a family searching at night. It's an illustration of the goal, not a real result.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Four results from firms that take criminal cases, from a solo on Local Services Ads to a firm that opened a second office.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
“He is always available, incredibly professional, and truly cares about helping us achieve our goals.”
FAQ
Questions criminal defense lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
What should a criminal defense firm fix first?
After-hours answering. Arrest calls come at night and on weekends, and a family that reaches voicemail moves on. Next come the Google Business Profile and reviews, because every channel, AI answers included, leans on them.
Are Local Services Ads worth it for criminal defense?
In the US, often yes. You pay per lead, and Google reassesses charged leads and credits low-quality ones automatically. They work when someone answers every call. Our Local Services Ads vs Google Ads guide compares the two.
Can we contact people who were just arrested?
Not by phone or in person. ABA Formal Opinion 501 treats calling names from an arrest list as prohibited solicitation, and it holds lawyers responsible for staff and hired marketers who do it. Targeted written contact follows your own state's rule, so check it before sending anything.
Can we call ourselves criminal defense specialists?
Only with care. Under ABA Model Rule 7.2(c), "certified specialist" needs a state-approved or ABA-accredited certifier named in the ad. In Canada, the Model Code reserves "specialist" for lawyers the law society has certified. Saying you practice only criminal defense, when that's true, is usually the safer line.
How much should a criminal defense firm spend on ads?
It depends on your market and how many cases you can take each month. Our guide on what law firm marketing costs shows typical monthly ad spend by platform. That money goes to Google or Meta on your own card. Below about $1,000 a month in total, we'd build the profile and reviews first.
Do you work with criminal lawyers in Canada?
Yes. Google's Canadian Local Services Ads page lists home services only, so we start with AI search, the Business Profile and Google search ads, with copy that respects the Model Code's rules on specialist claims.
Further reading
Guides for the next question.
Longer answers to the questions that come up once a firm starts spending on marketing.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- ABA Formal Opinion 501, Solicitation (April 13, 2022)
- ABA Model Rule 7.2, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services: Specific Rules
- ABA Model Rule 7.3, Comment
- ABA Model Rule 1.8, Current Clients: Specific Rules
- Federation of Law Societies of Canada, Model Code of Professional Conduct (rules 4.1-2 and 4.3-1)
- Google Local Services Ads Help, eligible categories (US)
- Google Local Services Ads Help, business screening requirements (US)
- Google Local Services Ads Help, how ranking works
- Google Local Services Ads Help, how you're charged for leads
Written by
Founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads strategy and works directly with every client firm on AI search, Local Services Ads, Google Ads and Meta ads.
More about SantiagoWant more criminal defense clients?
Tell us about your firm, your market and what you've already tried. We'll tell you exactly what we'd do, what we wouldn't, and whether we think we can help.