LSA outside the US
Can law firms in Canada and the UK use Local Services Ads?
What Google's own country pages say about Local Services Ads for lawyers in Canada, the UK and Australia, and what firms there run instead.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
In Canada, not today: Google's Canadian Local Services Ads page lists only home service categories, such as plumbers and electricians, and no legal ones. In the UK, yes, but only in Greater London, where Google lists legal categories as a pilot and says the ads "will not trigger outside of Greater London." Australia isn't one of the countries Google offers Local Services Ads in.
UK firms that can use it get a lighter version: Google offers no lead credits to advertisers in EMEA, and no call recordings for any vertical in Europe. Google says non-US accounts move into Performance Max in 2027 and gives no date for legal categories, so we don't guess at one.
For most firms outside the US, the route is Google search ads, the Business Profile and AI search. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
At a glance
For lawyers, Local Services Ads is a US product with a Greater London pilot.
Google publishes a getting started page for each country it offers Local Services Ads in. Here's what each one says for legal categories, as of October 11, 2026.
| Country | Legal categories | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 16 practice categories plus a general Lawyers category | Available; see our US categories guide |
| Canada | None listed | The page lists home service categories only |
| United Kingdom | 16 legal categories, Greater London only | A pilot; ads don't trigger outside Greater London |
| Australia | Not offered | Not on the list of countries Google's pages cover |
That's narrower than many guides suggest. A lot of LSA advice online is written for US firms and quietly assumes the product exists everywhere. Checking your own country's page first can save a firm weeks of preparing for something it can't run.
Canada
Google's Canada page lists 16 home service categories and no legal ones.
Local Services Ads runs in Canada, just not for lawyers. The categories on Google's Canadian page are trades such as plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, locksmiths and movers.
- The getting started page
Google's Canadian list has 16 entries, from appliance repair to window repair. None is a legal category, and there's no general lawyer entry either.
- The screening page
Google's Canadian business screening requirements page doesn't list any lawyer categories either. In the US, the same page lists a state bar check for each lawyer; in Canada there's no equivalent to complete.
- The "US and Canada" features
Google lists lead credits, booking tracking and asking for reviews as "US and Canada only." They're real in Canada, for the categories Google offers there. They don't open a legal category.
- What we don't say
Google hasn't announced legal categories for Canada on these pages, and its Performance Max timeline gives no date for legal anywhere. We don't forecast one, and we'd be wary of anyone selling Canadian lawyers on LSA today.
What Canadian firms run
Canadian firms get the closest thing to LSA from search ads, the Business Profile and reviews.
The things that make an LSA listing work, a verified profile, steady reviews and an answered phone, still work in Canada. They just feed different channels.
Business Profile first
A verified Google Business Profile with accurate hours, practice areas and reviews is what Maps and Google's AI answers read. Our Business Profile guide covers the setup.
Google search ads for the case types you want
Search ads run in Canada with full control over keywords and areas. That's how a Toronto real estate solo, starting from nothing online, reached $10,875 in the first week on just over $300 in ad spend, with the first client signed inside 24 hours. That result came from Google search ads, not LSA.
AI search alongside
People ask ChatGPT and Google's AI for a lawyer in Canada too. Our guide to showing up in ChatGPT is the plan we follow.
Follow-up that fits Canadian law
Texts and emails to leads fall under CASL, and law society rules apply to the ads themselves. Our guide to marketing a law firm in Canada covers both.
When we onboard a Canadian firm, we note whether its ad spend is in Canadian or US dollars, and set target areas from where the firm takes clients, not from every bar it belongs to: a lawyer who also holds a New York license doesn't make New York a market unless the firm takes clients there. One Toronto family law client described what we did as "getting us the business we needed to grow with a very modest investment."
United Kingdom
In the UK, Google lists 16 legal categories, available in Greater London only.
Google's UK page puts its legal categories under the heading "Currently available in Greater London only." Its screening page calls professional services a pilot.
- Contract lawyer services
- Corporate lawyer services
- Criminal lawyer services
- Employment lawyer services
- Family lawyer services
- Immigration lawyer services
- Insolvency lawyer services
- IP lawyer services
- Lawyer services
- Litigation lawyer services
- Malpractice lawyer services
- Personal injury services
- Probate lawyer services
- Property lawyer services
- Road traffic lawyer services
- Tax lawyer services
The UK list isn't the US list with different spelling. It has employment, insolvency, probate, property, road traffic and tax categories the US page doesn't list by those names, and no separate DUI, disability or bankruptcy entries. Google's screening page adds: "Note that your ads will not trigger outside of Greater London."
UK checks
UK firms need business registration, indemnity insurance and regulator membership for each member.
Google's UK screening page lists the same three checks for each legal category. Its getting started page adds headshots and reviews for pre-badge ads.
Business registration
A business check for the firm. Google's getting started page lists business registration as the UK requirement for professional services going live with pre-badge ads.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Listed for every UK legal category. Have the current certificate ready, with the firm's name as it appears on the account.
Regulator membership for each member
Google's wording is "Active membership with the Solicitors or Barrister regulation authorities for each member in the firm." Every solicitor or barrister on the account needs current status with their regulator.
Headshots and reviews
Pre-badge ads for professional services need headshots, and reviews "subject to category requirements." Google recommends 5 or more reviews, which our LSA reviews guide explains.
Billing and budget
Billing runs through Google Ads, and the budget works the same way as in the US: a weekly average with a monthly maximum. Our budget and bidding guide covers the formula.
The ads themselves still sit under the SRA's publicity rules and the CAP Code. Our guide to SRA rules on solicitor marketing covers what a listing and its bio can say.
What's different in the UK
UK firms get no lead credits, no call recordings and fewer lead types than US firms.
Several features US firms rely on are switched off in Europe or limited to North America. Google states each one on its own pages.
| Feature | US law firm | Greater London firm |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic lead credits | Yes, most within 30 days | No: not available to EMEA advertisers |
| Call recordings | Yes, in the lead inbox | No: not available for any vertical in Europe |
| Booking leads | Where offered: Google's booking page says US only | No |
| Ask for reviews from the account | Yes | No: listed as US and Canada only |
| Text alerts for new leads | Yes | Email only: SMS notifications are US only |
| Where ads show | Service areas you choose | Inside Greater London only |
No credits changes the arithmetic. In the US, a poor lead may come back as a credit; in London, every charged lead stays charged, so job types and areas have to be tight from day one. Our lead credits guide explains what US firms get back.
Everywhere else
Outside Greater London and in Australia, search ads and the Business Profile do the job instead.
A Manchester or Leeds firm can't trigger the legal pilot, and an Australian firm can't open an LSA account at all. The groundwork that would have fed a listing still pays.
- UK firms outside London
Google search ads, with the Business Profile, reviews and AI search underneath. Our guide to solicitor marketing in the UK covers the channels and the SRA's transparency rules for the pages ads send people to.
- Australian firms
Google search ads, Meta and AI search, within the professional conduct rules and the Australian Consumer Law. Our guide to marketing a law firm in Australia has the details.
- London firms deciding whether to try it
It's a pilot with no credits. A firm that answers every call and already has solid reviews can test it alongside search ads; a firm still building either is better served by search ads first.
What might change
Google's only dated change for non-US accounts is the 2027 move into Performance Max.
Google says non-US accounts, and every category not moved in 2026, transition to Google Ads in 2027. It doesn't say legal categories will open anywhere new.
The move keeps pay per lead and keeps the ads on Search and Maps only. It doesn't add categories. If Google lists legal categories for Canada, or extends the UK pilot beyond Greater London, the country pages are where it will show, and they're what we read before advising any firm.
US firms have the full product. The DUI defense solo who made $13,500 from $600 in ad spend in 12 days ran on LSA in the US. Our Local Services Ads vs Google Ads guide compares the two for firms that can choose.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
These are the mistakes we see Canadian, UK and Australian firms make around Local Services Ads.
Preparing for a product that isn't offered
A Canadian or Australian firm can spend weeks on badge paperwork for LSA when Google's own pages list no legal categories there. Check your country's page first.
Assuming a London listing reaches the rest of the UK
Google says the legal ads won't trigger outside Greater London. A firm with offices elsewhere needs search ads for those areas.
Budgeting a UK pilot as if credits apply
There are no lead credits in EMEA. Plan the budget on charged leads, with no money coming back later.
Treating US advice as universal
Bookings, call recordings, review requests and text alerts all depend on country. Read Google's page for yours, not a US checklist.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
A Toronto result on Google search ads, where LSA isn't offered to lawyers, and a US result on Local Services Ads for comparison.
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.
Can Canadian lawyers use Google Local Services Ads?
Not according to Google's Canadian pages today. The getting started page lists home service categories only, and the screening page lists no lawyer categories. So for Canadian firms, the work goes into Google search ads, the Business Profile and AI search. A Toronto real estate solo reached $10,875 in the first week that way.
Can UK solicitors use Local Services Ads?
Only in Greater London. Google lists 16 legal categories there as a pilot and says the ads won't trigger outside Greater London. Each member of the firm needs active membership with the solicitor or barrister regulator, plus Professional Indemnity Insurance and a business check.
Is Local Services Ads available in Australia?
No. Australia isn't among the countries on Google's getting started page, which lists Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Australian firms use Google search ads, Meta and AI search instead, with the Business Profile and reviews underneath.
Do UK firms get lead credits?
No. Google says lead credits aren't available to advertisers in EMEA, and that call recordings and lead credits aren't available for any vertical in Europe. A Greater London firm pays for every charged lead, so tight job types and areas matter more there.
When will Google open Local Services Ads to Canadian law firms?
Google hasn't said. Its Performance Max transition page moves non-US accounts in 2027 but gives no date for legal categories, and its Canadian pages list none today. A move into Performance Max isn't the same as new categories opening. We'd rather tell a firm that plainly than guess at a launch.
What do UK firms outside London use instead?
Google search ads, with the Business Profile, reviews and AI search underneath, all within SRA and CAP Code rules. Search ads can target Manchester, Leeds or anywhere else a firm takes clients, with keywords chosen per case type. Our UK solicitor marketing guide covers the full picture.
Can you help a Canadian or UK firm get started?
Yes. We'll check what Google offers your practice where you are, and start with what's actually available, usually search ads and the Business Profile, with AI search alongside. Most firms are live in about 2 weeks. To talk it through, schedule a consultation.
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.
- Google Local Services Help, Getting started with Local Services Ads (Canada)
- Google Local Services Help, Getting started with Local Services Ads (United Kingdom)
- Google Local Services Help, Getting started with Local Services Ads (United States)
- Google Local Services Help, Business screening and verification requirements (United Kingdom)
- Google Local Services Help, Business screening and verification requirements (Canada)
- Google Local Services Help, About Automated Local Services Ads lead credits
- Google Local Services Help, How leads work
- Google Local Services Help, About booking leads in Local Services Ads
- Google Local Services Help, Manage leads and jobs
- Google Ads Help, Local Services Ads transition to Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals
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.
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