Law firms spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on marketing agencies, and most choose one from a list like this. The problem with most lists is that they rank on reputation and size, which tells you very little about what happens to your firm after you sign. This comparison ranks on six questions that decide that instead. We have answered them for ourselves as well, and where we could not verify an answer for another company from public information, the table says "ask" rather than guessing.
- Ownership: if you leave, do you keep the website, domain, content and ad accounts?
- Contract: month-to-month, or a fixed term?
- Transparency: is ad spend separated from management fees, and is pricing published?
- Focus: legal only, or legal among other industries?
- Who does the work: an attorney or legal specialist, or a generalist account team?
- Measurement: reporting in signed cases, or in traffic and impressions?
How We Compared the Best Law Firm Marketing Companies
We looked at each company's own website, published pricing where it exists, and publicly available descriptions of its model. We did not rely on anonymous reviews, which cut both ways and cannot be verified. Where a company does not publish an answer, we say so and tell you what to ask. The companies below are the ones law firms most often mention to us; the list is not exhaustive, and inclusion is not endorsement.
The Companies
Scorpion
One of the largest marketing companies serving law firms, founded in 2001 and based in Valencia, California. Scorpion serves several industries — legal, home services and healthcare among them — and builds client websites on its own proprietary platform. It markets an integrated bundle of website, SEO, paid media, video and reputation services and is a Google Premier Partner. Scorpion does not publish standard pricing or contract terms; proposals are firm-specific. Verify before signing: whether the website and content can leave with you, the contract term, and how much of the monthly fee is media. See our Scorpion alternatives page.
FindLaw
Founded in 1995, owned by Thomson Reuters for two decades, and acquired by Internet Brands in a sale completed in December 2024. FindLaw combines a large consumer-facing lawyer directory with website design (FirmSite) and marketing services. Its scale and directory traffic are real advantages; the questions to ask concern what happens to a FirmSite website when a firm leaves, the term of the agreement, and whether directory placement is included or separate. See our FindLaw alternatives page.
Martindale-Avvo
Also owned by Internet Brands, combining the Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell directories, Nolo, and website and marketing services for law firms. Strong for directory visibility and profile-driven leads; website and marketing services should be evaluated with the same ownership and term questions as any other vendor.
Justia
Best known for its free legal information and lawyer directory. Justia offers premium directory placement and law firm websites. Its directory is a legitimate citation and profile source for any firm; its website and marketing services are one option among several and should be compared on ownership and portability.
Rankings.io
An SEO agency focused heavily on personal injury law firms, known for aggressive organic campaigns for larger PI firms. If you are a PI firm with substantial budget competing for the broadest terms in a major metro, it belongs on your list. Smaller firms and other practice areas are not its center of gravity.
Hennessey Digital
A Los Angeles-area SEO and digital agency serving law firms, particularly personal injury, with a reputation for technical SEO and content at scale. Like Rankings.io, oriented toward firms with meaningful SEO budgets.
Juris Digital
A legal-only SEO and content agency emphasizing attorney-written content and long-term organic growth. A fit for firms that want to invest in content over years rather than buy leads this quarter.
LawRank
A legal-focused SEO agency with a strong track record in competitive local markets, particularly personal injury and criminal defense. Positioned on SEO rather than paid media.
PaperStreet
A law firm website design agency, long established, with a large portfolio of custom sites. Primarily a design and development shop; marketing services are secondary. If the website is your main problem, it is a credible specialist.
Attorney Pro Marketing
Us. A legal-only agency in Beverly Hills founded by Alon Darvish, a former bankruptcy attorney who practiced for 17 years and did his own firm's marketing. We run Google Ads, Google Business Profile, websites, landing pages and AI visibility for solo and small firms nationwide. Month-to-month, published pricing, media paid directly to Google from your account, and your domain and ad accounts stay in your firm’s name. Our weaknesses are also real: we are small, we do not do television or large brand campaigns, and we are the wrong fit for a firm that wants a large account team. See the law firm marketing agency page.
Side by Side
| Company | Legal only? | You own the site? | Contract | Published pricing? | Core strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scorpion | No — multi-industry | Ask — proprietary platform | Ask | No | Scale, bundled services |
| FindLaw | Yes | Ask — FirmSite platform | Ask | No | Directory traffic |
| Martindale-Avvo | Yes | Ask | Ask | Partial (directory tiers) | Directory profiles |
| Justia | Yes | Ask | Ask | Partial (directory tiers) | Free directory, citations |
| Rankings.io | Yes | Typically yes (SEO on your site) | Ask | No | PI SEO at scale |
| Hennessey Digital | Yes | Typically yes | Ask | No | Technical SEO, content |
| Juris Digital | Yes | Typically yes | Ask | No | Attorney-written content |
| LawRank | Yes | Typically yes | Ask | No | Competitive local SEO |
| PaperStreet | Yes | Ask | Project-based | No | Custom website design |
| Attorney Pro Marketing | Yes | Domain, content and ad accounts yours; site hosted by us | Month-to-month | Yes | Attorney-led search marketing for small firms |
"Ask" means the company does not publish the answer. It is not an accusation; it is an instruction. Get the answer in writing in the contract, not in a sales call.
Which Is Best for Your Firm
- Large PI firm, six-figure monthly budget, competing for the broadest terms: Rankings.io, Hennessey Digital or Scorpion will all take the meeting. Compare on ownership and term.
- Firm whose main problem is the website: PaperStreet for a fully custom build; our designs for a fast, owned site from $1,500.
- Firm that wants directory visibility first: Justia's free profile, then evaluate Avvo and FindLaw premium tiers on measured calls.
- Firm committed to long-term content: Juris Digital, or an attorney writing with help.
- Solo or small firm that wants cases from search, no contract, and the attorney's own voice in the work: that is who we built Attorney Pro Marketing for.
Want a second opinion on a proposal you already have?
Send it with the free audit request. We will tell you what the proposal does well and what to ask before signing, whether or not it is ours.
Questions to Ask Any Law Firm Marketing Company
- If we part ways, what exactly do we keep — website files, domain, content, Google Ads account, Google Business Profile, call tracking numbers?
- What is the term, and what does termination require?
- Of our monthly payment, how much is media and how much is your fee? Will media be paid from our own account?
- Who writes our ads and pages, and how do you handle our state's advertising rules?
- How will you attribute each signed client to a channel, and will we see that monthly?
- Can you give an example of recommending a client spend less?
Our answers: you keep everything; month-to-month; media paid from your account with our fee stated separately; written to the rules by people who have read them; call tracking plus intake-source logging reported monthly; and yes, regularly. For the how-to behind all of it, see the law firm marketing guide and our questions for a marketing agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single best law firm marketing company; there is a best fit for a given firm's size, practice area, budget and tolerance for long contracts. Large PI firms with large budgets have different options than solo practitioners. Compare any company on ownership of your site and accounts, contract term, fee transparency, legal focus, who does the work, and whether results are reported in signed cases.
Most do not publish pricing. Industry retainers for small firms commonly range from roughly $1,500 to $5,000 per month before ad spend, and far more for large firms, often with media and fees combined in one number. Attorney Pro Marketing publishes its pricing: three full-service packages at $2,500, $3,500 and $4,500 per month covering the website, Google Business Profile, Google Ads and AI visibility, each starting with a free 14-day period, with media paid directly to Google from your account.
Generally yes. Legal-only agencies understand how legal consumers search and decide, and they know state advertising rules, which matters because the firm, not the agency, bears the risk of a non-compliant ad. Several large multi-industry agencies serve law firms well; just confirm the people on your account have legal experience.
Some do and some do not. Companies that build on proprietary platforms often cannot hand over a working site when a firm leaves, which is a significant switching cost. Ask for the answer in writing, including domain, content and ad accounts, before signing with anyone.
They are common, particularly with large agencies, but not necessary. Nothing in search marketing requires a twelve-month commitment; campaigns can be evaluated honestly over 90 days. Month-to-month terms mean the agency expects to earn the business every month.
Ask in practitioner communities where lawyers speak candidly, and ask for warnings as well as recommendations — most people who have had a bad experience will say so if asked directly. Then check the specifics rather than the reputation: ask any agency for two former clients who no longer work with them and permission to contact them, and read the cancellation clause before the pitch deck.