01
Cost per lead, after credits
What you actually paid per lead once Google's credits have landed, not the number on the dashboard on a given day.
Local Services Ads for law firms
Paying for clicks that never turn into calls?
Google Local Services Ads charge per lead, not per click, and sit above everything else with the Google Verified badge, your star rating and your review count. For a lot of US practice areas, it's where we start when a firm needs calls soon.
$13,500 Generated From Just $600 in Advertising Spend.$13,500Real result · DUI Defense · Criminal DefenseHad tried SEO, PPC, social, lead vendors, nothing worked. 12 days with us turned it around.Read the story
Individual result, not a promise of any specific outcome.
Schedule a Consultation
Free 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no pressure.
See it for your firm
Picture your firm above the regular ads.
Local Services Ads sit above the usual search ads, with the Google Verified badge, your rating and a call button. Here's the goal, with your firm in it.
Illustration of the goal. Results vary.
- 1Someone nearby searches on their phone.
- 2Your firm shows in the Local Services box, verified and rated.
- 3One tap, and they're calling you.
Local Services Ads for lawyers run in the US and Greater London.
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Local Services Ads (LSA) are Google's lead ads for lawyers and other local professionals. They sit above the regular ads and results, show your photo, star rating and review count, and carry the Google Verified badge once Google has checked your firm and each lawyer's license.
You pay per lead, not per click. Someone can look at your listing all day and it costs nothing. You pay when they call or message you through it, and Google now credits poor-quality leads back automatically.
For lawyers, it's a US product, plus Greater London in the UK. One DUI defense solo who had tried SEO, PPC, social and bought leads generated $13,500 in 12 days from $600 in ad spend (paid to Google). Your main job is answering the phone, because on LSA, answering literally sets your prices.
Who it's for
Is this right for your firm?
Firms in local practice areas where people search with urgency, in a market where Google offers it.
A good fit
- Personal injury, family, criminal and DUI defense, immigration, estate planning, bankruptcy and similar practice areas.
- Firms in the US, or in Greater London in the UK.
- Firms that can answer calls during the day, or will use an answering service to cover the gaps.
- Firms with reviews coming in, or willing to start asking. Your rating sits right on the listing.
Probably not the right fit
- Firms in Canada or Australia, for now. Google doesn't offer Local Services Ads for lawyers there today, so we'd start with Google search ads, your Business Profile and AI search instead.
- Practice areas where clients rarely search in a hurry, like complex corporate work. Referral partners usually do better there.
- Firms where nobody can answer the phone. Missed calls make every future lead more expensive.
How it works
Step by step.
From first look to a steady flow of leads, this is how it runs.
We check the fit and set up the account
We confirm Google offers Local Services Ads for your practice areas in your market, then build the profile: service areas, hours, case types and photos, connected to your Google Business Profile so your reviews show on the listing.
We get you Google Verified
For US firms, Google verifies the owner's identity, checks the business registration and professional liability insurance, runs background checks for some users, and checks the bar license of each lawyer. Your listing can't show until that's done.
This is the slowest part, and most of that clock sits with Google. Fast replies from you when documents are needed shave days, sometimes weeks, off it.
We set the budget and the bidding
A weekly budget that fits your market and practice area, the case types you want, and bidding adjusted as the account builds data.
Every lead gets an answer
Calls ring straight to you. Message leads get an automatic reply asking them to call or leave a number. Every lead lands in your CRM, so nothing gets lost.
We watch lead quality and flag the bad ones
Google doesn't charge for leads it judges invalid, and credits charged leads that later turn out to be poor quality, usually within 30 days. We review every lead, report the bad ones through Google's feedback survey, and check the credits land.
We track leads to cases
You (or whoever runs intake) mark what happened to each lead. That tells us which leads to flag, which case types to push, and what a signed case really costs you.
What sets your price
Two things you control move your cost per lead.
Budget matters, but on Local Services Ads two habits inside your firm move the numbers more than most people expect.
- Your answer rate
Google says missed calls can hurt your responsiveness, and responsiveness feeds your ranking. A missed call counts against you even if you call back two minutes later, because Google never sees the callback. Over time, missed calls push up what you pay and push you down the listing.
If there are gaps in your phone coverage (court days, lunch, after hours), an answering service fixes that. On LSA it doesn't just save leads, it lowers the cost of every lead that follows.
- Your reviews
Your star rating and review count sit right on the listing, and Google names them as part of profile quality, which affects your ranking and what you pay per lead. Every review you collect quietly makes the next lead cheaper.
- Your real cost per lead
Because poor-quality leads get credited back after the fact, the cost per lead on your dashboard is usually higher than what you end up paying. The credits lag behind, so the screen looks a little worse than reality in the moment.
What changed recently
Local Services Ads isn't the product it was two years ago.
Google has changed a lot about LSA lately, so older guides (and older agency pitches) are often out of date. Here's where it stands, from Google's own help pages.
- The badge is now Google Verified
There's now a single Google Verified badge on the listing, replacing the badge lawyers used to get. The checks behind it are still about identity, the business, insurance and each lawyer's license.
- Credits are automatic
Instead of filing a dispute for every bad lead, Google reviews leads with its own models and credits poor-quality ones automatically. Automatic credits apply in the US and Canada, not to advertisers in the UK.
- It's moving into Performance Max
Google is moving Local Services Ads into a Performance Max campaign type built for pay-per-lead. It started in August 2026 with some US home service categories, and Google says the remaining categories and non-US accounts follow by 2027. You still pay per lead, and the ads still show only on Google Search and Maps.
- Where lawyers can use it
Legal categories are available in the US, and in the UK only in Greater London. Google's Canada page lists home services only, and Local Services Ads isn't offered in Australia.
Working with us
What the first three months look like.
No promises about lead volume in a given week. Here's how the first three months actually go.
Week 1
Fit check, profile, paperwork
We confirm Google offers it for your practice areas where you are, build the profile, connect your Business Profile and start Google Verified. Google will ask for documents: the owner's ID, business registration, insurance and each lawyer's license.
Month 1
Verified, then live
Verification is the slow part, and most of that clock is Google's. Once you're live, the first weeks are lumpy: nothing for four days, then three leads in an afternoon. That's completely normal. It steadies as the account matures.
Month 3
Numbers you can judge
Enough leads to look at in four-week blocks: cost per lead after credits, your answer rate, and how many leads became consultations and signed cases. Budget and case types move toward what signs.
Ad spend
What the ads themselves cost.
This is the budget paid to Google for the ads, charged to your own card. It never goes through us. We keep the range wide on purpose, because a solo lawyer in a small town and a multi-office firm in a major city are in completely different auctions.
Typical monthly ad spend
$1,000 to $10,000+
Paid straight to Google on your own card, not to us.
What moves the number
- How competitive your market and practice area are
- How many new cases you can handle each month
- Seasonality, and competitors entering or leaving your market
Who does what
What we do, and what your firm does.
We run the account. Your side is short, but it moves the numbers more than anything we do.
What we do
- Set up the profile and connect your Google Business Profile
- Handle the Google Verified process with you
- Set budgets, case types, service areas and bidding
- Auto-reply to message leads and route every lead into your CRM
- Review every lead, flag poor-quality ones and check the credits land
- Pause and restart around holidays or time away, with notice
- Handle the move to Performance Max when Google switches your account
What your firm does
- Answer the phone, or set up an answering service for the gaps (we give you the brief)
- Send verification documents quickly when Google asks
- Mark what happened to each lead, the same day if you can
- Keep reviews coming
Measuring it
How we measure results.
We track everything, but decisions get made on what signed cases are worth against what you spent.
02
Answer rate
Google tracks it, so we do too. When it slips, we look at why before it shows up in your prices.
03
Lead to consultation to signed case
How many leads booked, showed and signed, by case type. This is where the feedback you give us pays off.
04
Return on spend
A higher cost per lead that signs beats a cheap lead that doesn't, every time.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
The first is a Local Services Ads result. The other two come from ads more broadly: one firm opened a second office, the other had more cases than she could handle within two months.
$13,500 Generated From Just $600 in Advertising Spend.
Google Local Services AdsDUI Defense · Criminal Defense
$13,500
Read the full storyHad tried SEO, PPC, social, lead vendors, nothing worked. 12 days with us turned it around.
- $13,500 generated in less than 2 weeks
- ROI was so clear, he reinvested immediately
- Started spending less on marketing, but ended up making significantly more
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
“My phone rings with promising leads. I have been with Ad Hoc for 3 months and my client base is expanding.”
Before you book
What owners ask us first.
The five things owners ask before they hire us for this, answered straight.
“I tried an agency before and got burned.”
Then you'll like how little there is to hide on LSA. Every lead shows in Google's own dashboard and in your CRM, and the ad spend goes on your own card straight to Google, not through us.
No long-term contracts, you own everything we build, and you deal directly with the people doing the work, not an account manager.
“I don't have time for this.”
Your side is short: answer the phone (or let an answering service cover the gaps), send documents when Google asks, and mark what happened to each lead. We do the rest.
“Will this work in my market or practice area?”
Honest answer first: for lawyers, Google offers it in the US and in Greater London only, not in Canada or Australia today. In the US it suits personal injury, family, criminal and DUI defense, immigration, estate planning, bankruptcy and similar. If it isn't open to you, we'll say so on the call and start with what is.
“What if the leads are bad?”
Google now screens leads itself and credits poor-quality ones automatically in the US, usually within 30 days. We review every lead, report the bad ones and check the credits land.
“How do I know it's working?”
Cost per lead after credits, answer rate, and leads to signed cases, in four-week blocks. The number that decides the budget is what signed cases are worth against what went to Google.
The next step
30 minutes, and a straight answer.
It's a conversation about your firm, not a presentation about us. Here's exactly what happens on it.
You tell us how cases come in today
Your practice areas and market, what's running now, what you've tried before, and what didn't work.
We tell you what we see
Where the gaps are, what we'd start with and why, and what it would need from you.
You get a straight answer
If we can help, we outline what working together would look like. If we can't, we say so.
“He was a thoughtful listener and quickly grasped the unique aspects of my practice. The plan he outlined was cohesive, insightful, and felt highly actionable.”
Schedule a Consultation
Free 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no pressure.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
Most LSA accounts that underperform are making at least one of these.
Letting calls go to voicemail
A missed call counts against you even if you call straight back. Over time it raises what you pay for every lead.
Assuming every bad lead gets credited
Automatic credits catch a lot, but not everything. Accurate hours and quick feedback on each lead both matter.
Judging it on a quiet week
LSA is lumpy, especially early on. A whole month's leads can arrive inside two weeks. Look at four-week blocks.
Ignoring reviews
Fewer reviews means a weaker listing and pricier leads. The firms with the most reviews aren't more charming, they just built the ask into their routine.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to what comes up on almost every first conversation.
What does Google Verified mean for a law firm? Is it the same as Google Screened?
Yes, it's the newer name. Google Verified is the badge on your Local Services Ads listing once Google has done its checks. For US firms they cover the owner's identity, business registration, professional liability insurance, background checks for some users, and each lawyer's bar license. Your listing can't show until it's done.
Can my firm run Local Services Ads outside the US?
For lawyers, only in Greater London in the UK. Google's Canada page lists home services only, and Local Services Ads isn't offered in Australia. In Canada or Australia, we'd start with Google search ads, your Business Profile and AI search instead.
How much should I budget for Local Services Ads?
As a rough guide, $1,000 to $10,000+ a month, depending on your market and practice area. That's ad spend paid straight to Google on your own card, not to us. Below about $1,000 a month, most firms get more from building their Business Profile and reviews first.
Do I pay for bad leads?
Less than you used to. Google doesn't charge for leads it judges invalid, and charged leads that later turn out to be poor quality are credited automatically, usually within 30 days.
Automatic credits apply in the US and Canada. Google doesn't offer them to advertisers in the UK.
What's changing with Performance Max?
Google is moving Local Services Ads into a Performance Max campaign type built for pay-per-lead. It started in August 2026 with some US home service categories, and Google says the rest follow by 2027. You still pay per lead and the ads still show only on Search and Maps. When your account moves, we handle the switch.
Should I start with Local Services Ads or Google search ads?
For local practice areas where people search with urgency, LSA is often the starting point: you pay per lead, and poor-quality leads get credited. Search ads give you more control over which cases you go after, and work in practice areas and countries LSA doesn't cover. Plenty of firms run both.
Do reviews really change what I pay?
Yes. Google names your rating and review count as part of profile quality, which affects your ranking and your cost per lead. More reviews, better reviews, and you show up higher, more often, for less.
Find out if Local Services Ads fit your firm.
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll check whether Google offers it for your practice areas where you are, and tell you straight whether it's the right place to start.