At Riley Summers, we manage Google Local Services Ads for law firms: the Google Screened verification, practice area selection, service area targeting, the firm's profile and its budget. We track every lead the ads produce and report on them, while the firm's intake team answers and handles each one. LSAs charge per lead rather than per click, so the aim is more of the cases the firm wants most at a cost that makes sense. Not every lead will be one of them. Some will be average cases, some the firm may refer out, and some that look strong at first won't hold up once the firm reviews them. Results are evaluated by cost per case inquiry and, when the firm shares its intake data, cost per signed case. Management is a flat monthly fee, not a percentage of ad spend.
Your LSA account
The account and profile are in your firm's name, not ours.
Leads on your card
Google bills your firm directly for each lead. We charge only our fee.
One flat fee
Our management fee doesn't rise with your lead spend.
60-day out
No initial term and no long-term contract.
On this page
- Which Law Firms LSAs Are Right For
- What's Included in LSA Management
- How We Evaluate LSA Results
- What We Usually Find in Existing LSA Accounts
- How LSA Management Starts
- What Your Monthly Report Shows
- Related Law Firm Services
Which Law Firms LSAs Are Right For
Local Services Ads appear at the very top of Google for many legal searches, above the regular search ads, with the Google Screened badge beside the firm's name. The firm pays for each lead, usually a phone call or message, rather than for each click. For a firm that qualifies, that combination of top placement, a trust badge and per-lead pricing makes LSAs one of the most direct sources of case inquiries available.
Not every firm qualifies, and not every firm is ready. Before launch, a firm needs:
- Google Screened status. Google checks that each lawyer on the profile is actively licensed to practice law, along with the firm's business registration and supporting documents, which must be kept current.
- A solid Google rating. Google requires an average rating of at least 3.0 and usually expects at least five reviews before the ads run, so we recommend having at least five Google reviews before launch.
- An eligible practice area. LSAs cover many practice areas, but not every one in every market.
Office location matters too. In our experience, where a firm's offices are still affects how often its ads show, even though Google no longer lists proximity as a ranking factor. A firm can target areas beyond its offices but should expect fewer leads there. For markets without an office, paid search is usually the more reliable route.
What's Included in LSA Management
Google Screened verification
We handle verification as part of setup. We ask the firm for the information Google needs, including each lawyer's license details, and manage the submission. Keeping licenses and documents current remains the firm's responsibility; when something renews or changes, we update the profile.
Practice area selection
Only the practice areas the firm wants cases in are switched on, so the budget isn't spent on leads the firm would turn away.
Service area targeting
The service area is set to match where the firm's offices are and where it wants cases from, rather than left on a broad default.
Profile and images
Hours, lawyer details and a current set of photos of the firm's lawyers, office and people. The firm supplies the photos; we advise on what's needed and can arrange a photographer for a fee.
Budget and bidding
The weekly budget and bidding are set and paced so the ads keep running through the week instead of stopping once the budget is spent in the first few days.
Lead tracking and ratings
We track every lead and ask the firm to assign one person from its intake team to rate each lead in the dashboard. Since 2024, Google issues credits for invalid leads automatically rather than through manual disputes, and those ratings help inform which leads it credits.
Review guidance
Reviews drive how often LSAs show. We give the firm a practical approach for asking satisfied clients for Google reviews within Google's policies, and can run review requests for the firm as a separate service.
Coordination with paid search
When a firm also runs Google Ads, we manage both together, balancing budget between them and comparing the two side by side on cost per case.
How We Evaluate LSA Results
Three things decide how often a firm's LSAs show and how many leads they produce. We call them the Three R's: Radius, Reviews and Response time. We manage all three, then evaluate the result the way a managing partner would, by what each case costs.
Because LSAs charge per lead, lead count alone can be misleading. A lead that costs less but never becomes a case is more expensive than one that costs more and signs. When the firm shares its intake data, we match signed cases back to LSA leads by practice area, so the firm can see what LSAs are really producing and compare them with its other channels.
Is your LSA account producing the cases it should?
Request a free LSA review. You'll receive a short written analysis of your firm's profile, practice area selection, service area targeting, reviews and lead handling. If your firm isn't running LSAs yet, we'll cover whether it's eligible and ready to launch.
Request a free LSA reviewWhat We Usually Find in Existing LSA Accounts
Too few recent reviews
A good rating, but few reviews or none in months, while competing firms keep adding them.
What we do instead
We give the firm a practical approach for asking satisfied clients for reviews, and can run review requests as a separate service.
Leads not answered quickly
Calls ring out or messages wait hours. The lead is still charged, the caller moves on, and slow responses can reduce how often the ads show.
What we do instead
We ask what the firm has in place for intake and after-hours calls. If there's nothing, we connect the firm with established legal intake and answering services.
Leads never rated
Nobody rates leads in the dashboard, so Google's automatic credit system has less to go on.
What we do instead
We ask the firm to assign one person from intake to rate every lead, since they know how each inquiry turned out.
Wrong practice areas switched on
The firm pays for leads in practice areas it doesn't handle, or doesn't want more of.
What we do instead
We switch on only the practice areas the firm wants cases in, and review them as the firm's priorities change.
Budget gone early in the week
The weekly budget runs out by Tuesday or Wednesday, and the ads disappear for the rest of the week.
What we do instead
We set and pace the budget and bidding so the ads keep running through the week.
Inaccurate geo targeting
The service area is too broad, too narrow, or left on a default that doesn't reflect where the firm wants cases.
What we do instead
We set service area targeting to match the firm's offices and the markets it wants cases from.
One profile for several offices
A firm with offices in several cities runs a single profile, so most of its locations are underrepresented.
What we do instead
We set up a profile for each office, each with its own service area targeting and budget.
Too few images, or out of date
The profile shows only a logo or a handful of old photos, including lawyers who have since left.
What we do instead
The firm supplies current photos of its lawyers, office and people. We advise on what's needed and can arrange a photographer for a fee.
How LSA Management Starts
- Free LSA review. A short written analysis of the firm's current LSA account, or of whether the firm is eligible and ready if it isn't running LSAs yet.
- Scope and fee. We agree on the practice areas, service area and budget, and set a flat monthly management fee based on them.
- Setup and verification. A one-time setup fee covers the profile build and Google Screened verification. Verification can take some time and must be complete before the ads can run, so it starts first.
- Launch and ongoing management. The ads go live, and we manage practice areas, service area targeting, budget and lead handling every month.
There's no initial term. Either side can end the engagement with 60 days' notice, and the firm keeps its LSA account, profile and all of its data.
What Your Monthly Report Shows
Each month, the report shows LSA leads and cost per lead by practice area and office, how many leads were rated, credits Google issued for invalid leads, and changes in the firm's reviews and rating. We review it with the firm rather than sending numbers without context.
Signed cases and cost per signed case are reported when the firm shares its intake data. That's the most useful number in the report, and we recommend every firm share it.
Related Law Firm Services
Find out what your LSA leads are really costing.
If your firm already runs Local Services Ads, we'll review your profile, settings and lead handling and send a short written analysis of what may be missing. If you're not running them yet, we'll look at whether your firm is eligible and ready.
Request a free LSA review