Switching agencies
How does a law firm switch marketing agencies without losing leads?
The access audit before notice, what the firm must own, the order that keeps leads flowing, and a two-week checklist.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Run an access audit before you give notice, get the firm in as owner or admin on every account, bring the new agency in next to the old one, and remove the old agency last. Leads stop when an ad, a phone number, a form or a domain goes dark. If none of those change hands mid-week, only the people with access change.
Two things catch firms out. Some assets can't move once they sit in someone else's account: Meta says an ad account created inside a business portfolio stays in that portfolio permanently. And some steps have waiting periods built in, like the 7 days a new Business Profile owner waits before taking primary ownership, so they have to start first.
When we take on a firm that's leaving another agency, access is the first week's work, not strategy. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
Before you give notice
Write down every account, who owns it, and whether you can log in.
The audit takes an afternoon and should happen while the relationship is still friendly. Log in yourself, with your own Google and Facebook logins, and record what you see, not what you were told.
| Account | What the firm should hold | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Admin access for a partner's own login, in an account billed to the firm | Admin, then Access and security: your name with Admin, the agency under Managers |
| Manager-account link | The agency linked as a manager, not as the account's only way in | Same page, Managers tab: note whether the agency's manager account has ownership |
| Google Business Profile | Primary owner, plus at least one other owner at the firm | Business Profile settings, People and access |
| Local Services Ads | Administrative access on the firm's own login | Admin menu, Access and security, in the Local Services Ads account |
| Meta business portfolio and ad account | Full access to a portfolio in the firm's name, holding the Page, Instagram account and ad account | Meta Business Suite Settings: the assets under your portfolio, the agency under Partners |
| GA4 and Search Console | Administrator in Analytics; verified owner in Search Console | Analytics Admin, Access Management; Search Console Settings, Users and permissions |
| Google Tag Manager | Two administrators at the firm | Tag Manager Admin, User Management |
| Call tracking numbers | Numbers in an account in the firm's name, or a written plan to port them | Your call tracking login and its billing name |
| Domain and DNS | The firm as registrant, with its own registrar login | Your registrar account, and the registrant shown in it |
| Website hosting and code | A hosting login, and the site's files or repository | Your hosting login; ask who holds the files |
| CRM | An account the firm owns, with export rights | Run a test export of contacts and notes |
| Review links | Google's own review link from the Business Profile | Compare the link in your follow-up emails to the one Google gives you |
Why each belongs in the firm's name is in our guide to what to ask an agency before signing. This page starts where that one ends.
The hard cases
A few assets can't be handed over later, so find them in the audit.
Most access is a matter of adding and removing people. These are the exceptions, where the platform's own rules decide what you keep.
- A Meta ad account created in the agency's portfolio
Meta says an ad account created in a business portfolio "will permanently be a part of that portfolio" and can't be transferred, and an ad account can only be in one portfolio. If yours sits in the agency's portfolio, plan a new ad account in the firm's portfolio and move the campaigns over by hand. The Page is a separate asset; check where it lives too.
- Google Ads tracking and audiences that belong to the agency
If the agency used its manager account's conversion tag, Google says that tag stops recording conversions for clicks after you unlink. Clicks from before still count for the conversion window, typically 30 days. Shared remarketing lists stop filling, and ad groups that target them stop running. Install the firm's own conversion tag first. Our guide to tracking calls from Google Ads covers the call side.
- Billing that runs through the agency
Google warns that if an account is on monthly invoicing and the agency's manager account is the paying manager, the ads stop serving after the unlink, so the billing setup has to change first. Move billing to the firm's own payment method before anyone unlinks anything.
- Tracking numbers in the agency's account
The FCC's porting guide is written for the phone company's customer. Our reading: if the numbers sit in the agency's call tracking account, the agency is that customer, so ask in writing for the numbers to be ported to an account in the firm's name. If not, plan new numbers and keep the old ones forwarding. Our call tracking guide explains which number belongs where.
- A domain registered to the agency
ICANN's registrant FAQ says changing the registrant name, organization or email can start a 60-day lock on moving the domain to another registrar. If you plan to change both, ICANN suggests finishing the registrar transfer first.
The order
Add first, test second, remove last.
Every step below adds access or changes ownership without switching anything off. The only removal happens at the end, after every call and form has been tested.
1. Get yourself in as owner or admin, before notice
Ask the agency to add a partner as Admin on Google Ads and Local Services Ads, owner on the Business Profile, full access on the Meta portfolio, Administrator in Analytics and Tag Manager, and owner in Search Console. Start the Business Profile first: Google makes a new owner wait 7 days before they can take primary ownership or remove anyone.
2. Fix what can't move
Move billing to the firm's card, install the firm's own conversion tracking, start any number ports, and get the domain's Auth-Code. ICANN says your registrar must provide that code within five calendar days of your request.
3. Give notice in writing, with the handover list attached
Name the end date, list every account, and ask for each item in the list below. Keep it polite: they still hold access you need.
4. Bring the new agency in alongside
Add the new agency as a partner on Meta and as a manager or user everywhere else. Google Ads is the exception: Google says an account can have only one direct manager, so the old link comes off first. Do the unlink and the new link on the same morning, from the firm's Admin login.
5. Test every way a lead reaches you
Call each tracking number, submit each form, send a message from the Business Profile, and check that each lead lands in the CRM with its source. Our guide to marketing attribution explains what each lead record should carry.
6. Remove the old agency, last
Remove the old agency's users and partner access, take its verification tokens off Search Console, and change any password that was ever shared. Google's Business Profile page notes that a removed user's past review replies and posts stay on the profile.
Two weeks, day by day
A dated two-week checklist that never leaves the phones dark.
This plan starts on a Monday and puts every risky change mid-week, mid-morning, when someone is in the office to answer calls and spot a problem.
| Day | What happens | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, day 1 | Run the access audit with your own logins | The audit table is filled in, gaps marked |
| Tue, day 2 | Ask to be added as owner or admin everywhere; start the Business Profile first | Invitations accepted |
| Wed, day 3 | Move Google and Meta billing to the firm's card; request the domain Auth-Code | Billing shows the firm's card |
| Thu, day 4 | Install the firm's own conversion tracking; list tracking numbers to port | Test conversions record in the firm's account |
| Fri, day 5 | Give written notice with the handover list | The agency confirms receipt |
| Mon, day 8 | Export the CRM and call recordings; start number ports | Export opens; port requests filed |
| Tue, day 9 | Business Profile 7-day wait ends; move primary ownership to the firm | A firm login shows as primary owner |
| Wed, day 10 | Unlink the old manager and accept the new agency's link the same morning | The new agency is the only manager |
| Thu, day 11 | Test every number, form and message; check the CRM | Every test lead arrives with its source |
| Fri, day 12 | Remove the old agency's access everywhere; change shared passwords | No old agency users remain |
In writing
What to ask the old agency for, in one email.
Asking once, in writing, with a date, gives both sides a list to tick off and leaves nothing to memory.
- A list of every account they manage for the firm, with the owner of each.
- Admin or owner access for a named partner on each account, by a date before the end of notice.
- Confirmation that no ad spend is billed through the agency, or the date billing moves to the firm.
- The domain's Auth-Code and confirmation of who the registrant is.
- A full CRM export: contacts, notes, sources, and call recordings where you have them.
- The list of tracking numbers, where each one is used, and their cooperation with any port.
- The website files or repository, the hosting login, and any theme or plugin licenses that are theirs, not yours.
- The conversion actions and tags they set up, so nothing gets counted twice.
- The date and time their access ends.
Your intake history belongs with the firm. Our guide to CRM basics for law firms covers what a clean export should include.
What changes the answer
The plan bends when the firm doesn't own the account itself.
The steps above assume the accounts are in the firm's name and only the agency's access needs to change. When they aren't, a few steps get longer.
- The ads run from the agency's own Google Ads account
Then the history stays with that account. Open a new account in the firm's name, rebuild the campaigns, and run both for a day or two so calls don't drop.
- The agency is the primary owner of your Business Profile
Ask them to transfer primary ownership. If they won't, Google's request form notifies the current owner, who has 3 days to respond, and you may then be able to claim the profile. Service-area firms contact Google support instead. Our Business Profile guide covers the setup once it's yours.
- You're bringing the work in-house
Same order, with an employee in place of the new agency. Our guide on agency vs in-house covers the trade-offs.
What we check
Our first week with a firm is access, then the real numbers.
The order of work is the same every time, and it starts before any campaign changes.
When we take on a firm, we get access to what's already running (ad accounts, Google Business Profile, website, CRM), look at the real numbers, and start on the piece that will move results soonest. On Google Ads we look at the old account first and tell the firm plainly what went wrong, before changing anything.
Our own terms make the next switch easy too: no long-term contracts, the firm owns everything we build, and ad spend goes on the firm's own card straight to Google or Meta. If a firm wants to take its website elsewhere, we help it move.
Several of our clients came to us after other vendors. One family firm's first month with us beat every previous vendor, and a DUI solo who had tried SEO, PPC, social and bought leads turned it around in 12 days and cut ties with the other marketing companies.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
The handover mistakes that cost firms leads, and how to avoid each one.
Giving notice before the audit
After notice, every request depends on goodwill. Get your own access first.
Unlinking Google Ads before billing moves
If the old agency pays Google on monthly invoicing, the ads stop at the unlink. Move billing to the firm first.
Cancelling numbers before the port finishes
The FCC tells consumers not to end service with the old company before the new one starts. The same logic keeps your phones ringing.
Changing the domain's registrant and registrar in the wrong order
A registrant change can trigger a 60-day lock on moving registrars. Do the registrar transfer first if you need both.
Removing the old agency before testing
Remove old access only once every test call and form arrives.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Three firms that came to us after other vendors: a family firm whose first month beat every previous vendor, a DUI solo who turned it around in 12 days, and a tenant defense lawyer who had tried agencies before.
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 my old agency keep my Google Ads account?
Not if the account is yours. Google says an individual account can unlink from a manager account, from an Admin login, without losing its campaign history. If the agency opened it in its own name, check that before you give notice.
How long does switching marketing agencies take?
About two weeks for the handover itself, if the firm already owns its accounts. Number ports, domain transfers and rebuilding a Meta ad account can run longer, which is why they start in the first week.
Will my ads stop while I switch?
They shouldn't. Ads stop when billing runs out or an account is unlinked from a paying manager, and leads stop when a landing page goes down. Move billing first, unlink and relink on the same morning, and keep the old pages live until the new ones are tested.
Can I keep my tracking phone numbers?
Often, if they can be ported. The FCC says you can keep a number when you switch providers in the same area, and simple ports must be processed in one business day. If the numbers are in the agency's account, our reading is that you'll need the agency's cooperation, so ask in writing.
Who should be the primary owner of our Google Business Profile?
Someone at the firm, with a second owner at the firm as backup. Google allows only one primary owner, and a primary owner can't remove themselves without transferring it first.
Do we lose our Google reviews when we switch agencies?
No. Reviews sit on the Business Profile, not with whoever manages it, and Google keeps a removed manager's past replies on the profile. Replace any agency review link with the one Google gives you under Get more reviews.
What should I ask a new agency before I hand over access?
Whose name the accounts will be in, how you'd leave, and who does the work. Our list of questions to ask an agency covers it, or book a call and we'll walk through your audit with you.
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 Ads Help, About access levels in your Google Ads account
- Google Ads Help, About Google Ads manager accounts
- Google Ads Help, Link accounts to your manager accounts
- Google Ads Help, Unlink accounts from your manager account
- Google Ads Help, About unlinking accounts from your manager account
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile owners and managers
- Google Business Profile Help, Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help, Request ownership of a Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help, Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews
- Local Services Ads Help, Manage access to your Local Services Ads account
- Meta Business Help Center, About business portfolio and business asset permissions
- Meta Business Help Center, Give a partner access to business assets in your business portfolio
- Meta Business Help Center, Remove partners from your business portfolio
- Meta Business Help Center, Add an ad account to your business portfolio in Meta Business Suite
- Google Analytics Help, Add, edit, and delete Analytics users and user groups
- Search Console Help, Managing owners, users, and permissions
- Tag Manager Help, Managing users and permissions
- ICANN, FAQs for Registrants: Transferring Your Domain Name
- FCC, Porting: Keeping Your Phone Number When You Change Providers
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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