Follow-up sequences
What should a law firm's lead follow-up sequence look like?
Calls first, texts to hold the conversation, email for the slow deciders, and a clear stop. The sequence we build, and the consent rules for each country.
By Charlotte Thompson, Co-Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
A good law firm follow-up sequence calls first, texts to keep the conversation alive, and keeps going for longer than feels natural: several attempts in the first week, then a slower nurture for people who aren't ready. It stops the moment someone books, says no, or asks you to stop.
Leads that go quiet aren't dead. People research, gather money and talk to family before they hire a lawyer, and we've seen leads become clients nine months after first contact. Most firms stop after one or two tries.
Charlotte builds these sequences into client firms' CRMs as part of our intake and follow-up systems. Consent rules for calls, texts and email differ by country, and we cover them below. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
The sequence
A sequence for a lead who contacted you and hasn't booked yet.
This is the shape we start from. The timing stretches or compresses by practice: an arrest moves in hours, an estate plan in weeks.
| When | Channel | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Minute 0 | Instant text | Says who you are and that someone is calling shortly |
| Within minutes | Call | The real first contact. Book the consultation if you can |
| If no answer | Text | "Tried to reach you about your inquiry. When's a good time?" |
| Day 1, later | Call | A second attempt at a different time of day |
| Day 2 | A short note with what to expect from a first consultation and a booking link | |
| Day 3 | Call and text | Third call; text if no answer |
| Day 5 to 7 | Text | A last direct check-in: "Still looking for help with this?" |
| Weeks 2 to 12 | Email, occasional text | A slower nurture: useful information, a reminder you're available |
| Any time | Stop | They book, say no, or ask you to stop |
The calls carry the weight. Texts and emails keep a thread open so the next call is welcome. Our guide to speed to lead covers the first few minutes in detail.
What to say
Short, in the firm's voice, and about their problem, not your firm.
Follow-up that sounds like a marketing campaign gets ignored. Follow-up that sounds like a person at the firm checking in gets replies.
Name the firm and the reason
"Hi [first name], this is [your name] from [firm name], following up on your message about your custody question." They contacted several firms; remind them which one you are.
One question, one action
Ask when's a good time, or give a booking link. Not both plus a paragraph about the firm.
Keep it discreet
Texts can be read by someone else. Don't put sensitive details about their matter in a message; "your inquiry" is enough.
Give useful information in the slow stage
In weeks two to twelve, send what helps them decide: what a first consultation covers, what documents to gather, how fees are explained. Our guide to what lawyers should post has topic ideas that work in email too.
Stop cleanly
When someone books, the sequence stops automatically. When someone says no or asks you to stop, it stops and the CRM records why.
Consent rules
Calls, texts and emails each have consent rules, and they differ by country.
Replying to someone who just asked you to contact them is the easy case. Longer automated sequences and marketing messages are where the rules apply.
| Country | The rule | What it means for follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| US (FCC, 47 CFR 64.1200) | Telemarketing calls and texts made with an automatic dialing system or prerecorded voice need prior express written consent; consent can be revoked by any reasonable method, including replying "stop"; no telephone solicitation before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time | Get written consent on your forms for texts, honor "stop" at once, and respect calling hours |
| Canada (CASL) | Commercial electronic messages need consent; the CRTC says an inquiry within the six months before the message can create an existing business relationship | Implied consent from an inquiry runs out; ask for express consent for long nurtures |
| Australia (Spam Act) | Commercial messages need express or inferred consent, must identify the sender, and must offer an easy unsubscribe | Identify the firm in every message and include a way to opt out |
| UK (PECR) | Marketing emails or texts to individuals need specific consent; a limited soft opt-in covers people who bought, or discussed buying, a similar service and were given a chance to opt out | A prospect who discussed hiring you may fall under the soft opt-in only if you offered an opt-out when you collected their details |
In practice that means three things on every form and booking page: a clear line about how you'll contact them, a consent checkbox for texts where the law calls for one, and an unsubscribe or "reply STOP" in every automated message. Our Canada, Australia and UK guides cover the wider country differences.
Texting in the US
Business texting from a regular number needs carrier registration first.
US carriers expect businesses sending texts from ordinary 10-digit numbers to register who they are and what they send. Unregistered texts can be filtered or blocked.
This registration (known as A2P 10DLC) asks for the firm's legal name, the purpose of its messages, sample messages, and how people opt in and out. When we onboard a US firm, we build a simple page that shows the firm's SMS terms and privacy language the way the registration expects, because a vague website is one of the common reasons registrations get rejected.
Until registration is approved, rely on calls and email. Once it is, keep messages matching what you registered: follow-up about the person's inquiry, appointment reminders, and the occasional useful note.
By practice
How long people take to decide changes the whole sequence.
Speed and persistence matter in every practice. What changes is the length of the slow stage and what goes in it.
- Urgent matters: DUI, criminal, injury
Compress the first week into the first day or two. People hire within hours. The slow nurture matters less, but a check-in a week later still catches people whose first choice fell through. See DUI defense marketing.
- Family law and immigration
Many people take weeks to decide, and some need to gather money or documents first. A longer slow stage with practical information helps. See immigration marketing.
- Estate planning and business law
Decisions can take months, often triggered by an event. Quarterly useful emails keep the firm in mind until then. See estate planning marketing.
Measure it
Measure contact rate and late signings, not opens and clicks.
The point of follow-up is to talk to more of your leads and to sign the slow ones. Those are the two numbers to watch.
- Contact rate: the share of leads a person actually spoke to. A low number usually means follow-up stops too early.
- Signed after day 7: how many cases came from leads that didn't book in the first week. That's the sequence's own result.
- Opt-outs and complaints: if many people ask you to stop, the messages are too frequent or don't sound like a person.
Our intake metrics guide shows how these sit next to answer rate and show rate. A DUI defense solo we work with turned over 60 percent of his leads into retained clients once intake and follow-up were in place, which is what consistent contact looks like in the numbers.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
The follow-up mistakes we see most when we look at a firm's CRM for the first time.
Stopping after one call
Quiet isn't dead. A lead that didn't pick up once has usually been busy, not lost interest.
Texting without consent language
US rules require prior express written consent for automated marketing texts, and carriers expect registration. Put the consent language on your forms.
Messages that sound like a campaign
"Don't miss out!" gets ignored. "Following up on your message about your custody question" gets replies.
Sensitive details in texts
A spouse or employer may see the screen. Keep the matter out of the message.
Ignoring "stop"
In the US, replying "stop" or "quit" revokes consent. Every automated message needs an opt-out that works instantly.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
A DUI solo whose answered calls and steady follow-up turned more than 60 percent of leads into clients.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
How many times should a law firm follow up with a lead?
More than most do. Several attempts across calls and texts in the first week, then a slower nurture by email for weeks or months, stopping when they book, decline or ask you to stop. We've seen leads sign nine months after first contact.
Can a law firm text leads?
Yes, with care. In the US, automated marketing texts need prior express written consent and carriers expect business texting to be registered. Replying to someone who asked you to text them is the simple case. Always include a way to opt out.
What about Canadian leads?
CASL requires consent for commercial electronic messages. The CRTC says an inquiry within the previous six months can create implied consent, which expires, so ask for express consent if you'll keep emailing for longer.
Should follow-up be automated?
The reminders and nurture emails can be. The calls shouldn't be. An instant text buys a few minutes, but a person still has to call, and the sequence should stop the moment a human takes over the conversation.
What should the follow-up emails say?
Short, useful and in the firm's voice: what a first consultation covers, what to bring, how fees are explained, and a booking link. Not newsletters about the firm. And no promises about outcomes.
When should we stop following up?
When they book, say no, hire someone else, or ask you to stop. Otherwise the slow nurture can run for months at a low frequency. Record the reason in the CRM so the numbers stay honest.
Should we follow up with leads who hired another firm?
One polite check-in a few weeks later is reasonable if they agreed to hear from you, because some first choices don't work out. After that, mark them as lost with the reason and stop. The reason itself is useful: if many leads say they hired someone faster, that's a speed-to-lead problem.
Can you build this in our CRM?
Yes. We build the sequence, the consent language and the stop rules, and check contact rate with you. Schedule a consultation and we'll look at what happens to your leads today.
Where we do this
The services this guide touches.
What this looks like when we run it for a firm, with a demo for your practice on each page.
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.
- eCFR, 47 CFR 64.1200, Delivery restrictions (FCC)
- Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, CASL guidance on implied consent
- Australian Communications and Media Authority, Avoid sending spam
- Information Commissioner's Office, Guide to PECR: electronic mail marketing
- American Bar Association, Comment on Model Rule 7.3
Written by
Co-founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads social media and content, runs onboarding for new client firms, and is on the regular check-in calls with clients.
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