A lawyer directory listing is worth paying for only if you can show signed cases from it, and you can only show that if you tagged it before you paid. Sort every listing into three kinds, never pay for the first, claim the second, and put the third on a quarterly review.
Quick answer
Make a list of every place your firm appears. Mark each one official (the state bar's, a court's or a law society's attorney search), free and claimable, or paid. Fix the official ones and claim the free ones, with the same name, address and phone on each. For every paid listing, add a tag to its website link, add its name to intake's source list, and write down the spend. After one quarter, divide spend by signed cases per listing and keep only those under the limit you set before you looked.
Which listings are official, which are free, and which are paid?
Official listings belong to a regulator. A state bar's member search shows what the bar has on file, and in Canada the Law Society of Ontario's directory lets anyone check whether a person is or was licensed, find contact information and check practising status (Law Society of Ontario, checked 2026-10-12). Nobody sells these, and a rep who offers to "upgrade" one is selling something else. Open yours first and correct anything wrong there, because it is the record a regulator keeps.
Free claimable profiles exist in a directory's own database, and you claim yours. Justia says a basic profile in the Justia Lawyer Directory is free, that you claim and complete it yourself, and that a profile listed there also appears in the Legal Information Institute (LII) Lawyer Directory run by Cornell (Justia, archived, checked 2026-10-12). Super Lawyers works differently: it publishes the names of the lawyers it selects "at no charge whether they advertise or not", so there is nothing to claim unless you are selected (Super Lawyers, checked 2026-10-12).
Paid placements are the products a sales rep describes. Justia sells Platinum Placements, one fixed top spot per practice area and metro area, and Gold Placements, which rotate in sponsored spots above and among the free profiles (same Justia page). FindLaw lists Legal Directory Advertising among its lawyer products (FindLaw, checked 2026-10-12), Super Lawyers sells Expanded and Premium Online Attorney Profiles (Super Lawyers, checked 2026-10-12), and Martindale-Avvo sells ProVantage profiles on Martindale, Avvo and Lawyers.com (Martindale-Avvo, checked 2026-10-12).
Some of these share a seller. FindLaw's page lists Super Lawyers among its products, and Martindale-Avvo's Authority Suite page names profiles on Avvo, FindLaw, Martindale, LawInfo, Lawyers.com and Nolo (Martindale-Avvo, checked 2026-10-12). If one rep quotes a bundle, ask for a price per directory so each can be judged on its own cases.
What does each directory say it sells?
The table holds only what each seller's own page stated; "not stated" means the page I read said nothing on it, so ask the rep in writing. Justia's site blocks automated requests, so I read its Internet Archive copy from September 2026.
| Directory | Free option | Paid option, as named | Price published | What you can track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State bar, court or law society search | Yes, your record exists | None | Not applicable | Nothing; keep it correct |
| Justia (shown in the LII directory too) | Basic profile, free to claim | Platinum Placement, Gold Placement | Not stated | Paid tiers: monthly report of profile impressions and page views; custom phone number |
| FindLaw | Not stated; its help page sends lawyers to a profile update form | Legal Directory Advertising, among other products | Not stated | INSIGHT, which FindLaw calls its performance analytics platform for subscribers |
| Super Lawyers | Name published free, for selected lawyers only | Expanded and Premium Online Attorney Profiles | Not stated | Premium page names contact buttons and an email form, no reports |
| Martindale and Lawyers.com | Not stated; the FAQ says profiles across its directories come with ProVantage | ProVantage profiles, AdVantage ads | ProVantage from $399 a month for the first user; ads "starting at just $5"; the rest on request | Profile impressions, clicks and contacts in the seller's portal |
| Avvo | See Avvo for lawyers | ProVantage and AdVantage, as for Martindale | As for Martindale | As for Martindale |
Justia's comparison table lists traffic statistics and "Custom Phone Number Integration" only for Gold and Platinum, and its FAQ says those buyers get a monthly report of impressions and page views. FindLaw's help page points lawyers to a profile update form (FindLaw, checked 2026-10-12). The Super Lawyers premium page lists contact buttons and an email contact form and says nothing about reports (Super Lawyers, checked 2026-10-12).
Martindale-Avvo's prices come from its pricing page (Martindale-Avvo, checked 2026-10-12) and its AdVantage page, which does not say what the $5 buys (Martindale-Avvo, checked 2026-10-12). Its profile reporting is described on the ProVantage page and in its FAQ (Martindale-Avvo, checked 2026-10-12). I left Nolo's own directory out because I could not open its pages.
Peer ratings such as Martindale AV and Super Lawyers selection are a separate thing from a listing; I cover them in Martindale-Hubbell rating. I rank none of these. Whether one fits depends on your practice area and city, which only your own numbers show.
Is a paid listing the same as buying leads?
No, and the ABA's model rule treats them differently. ABA Model Rule 7.2(b) says a lawyer shall not compensate, give or promise anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer's services, except that a lawyer may "pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule" and "pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service" (ABA, checked 2026-10-12). The comment names "on-line directory listings" among the advertising costs a lawyer may pay, and says that listings by practice area, without more, are not recommendations (ABA, checked 2026-10-12).
In Ontario, rule 3.6-7 of the Law Society's Rules of Professional Conduct says a lawyer shall not give "any financial or other reward" to a person who is not a lawyer or paralegal for the referral of clients (Law Society of Ontario, checked 2026-10-12). Each state bar and provincial law society sets its own rules, so read yours. This is not legal advice and I am not a lawyer.
A fixed fee for a profile or placement is the advertising kind, and the sellers draw the line too. Justia says a Premium Placement "is not a lead-generation service" (same Justia page), while Martindale-Avvo sells profiles and, separately, a Pay-Per-Lead service its FAQ says is powered by Martindale-Nolo. A price per lead, a share of fees, or a rep who says the directory will "refer" cases to you is another conversation, and lead generation for lawyers covers it. Ask your state bar or law society about any such contract before signing.
Why should the name, address and phone match everywhere?
Because a person or a search engine comparing two listings should see one firm. Google's Business Profile guidelines say a business should be represented as it is "consistently represented and recognized in the real world," with a phone number "under the direct control of the business" (Google, checked 2026-10-12). That is Google's rule for your Google profile; I did not find Google saying the same about directories, so treat matching as housekeeping, not a ranking trick. Your own profile is covered in Google reviews for lawyers.
A tracking phone number on a directory makes the listing differ from your main number, so use one only where the directory allows it, and list the main number on your own site and Google profile.
How do I tell which directory sent a client?
Three steps, none expensive.
- Tag the website link on each profile. Google Analytics reads three tags in a link: utm_source for the referrer, utm_medium for the kind of channel, and utm_campaign for the product or promotion (Google, checked 2026-10-12). Give each directory its own source. A link such as
https://yourfirm.com/?utm_source=findlaw&utm_medium=directory&utm_campaign=profileshows FindLaw visits as their own row. - Add a tracking number only where the directory permits one, and ask the rep in writing.
- Give intake a fixed source list that names each directory, so staff pick from it instead of typing "online". Record the source on the first call and again when the matter is signed.
Free listings get the same tag. Only then can you compare free with paid.
What does a quarterly renewal review look like?
Illustrative: every number below is made up for an imaginary two-lawyer family law firm, and none comes from a client.
| Listing | Spend, quarter | Calls | Consultations | Signed cases | Spend per signed case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directory A | $1,800 | 30 | 9 | 3 | $600 |
| Directory B | $2,700 | 12 | 4 | 0 | no signed case |
| Directory C | $900 | 8 | 5 | 2 | $450 |
Cost per signed case is spend divided by signed cases. The firm decided before the review to keep a listing under $700 per signed case. A and C pass; B has cost $2,700 and signed nothing, so it is cancelled before the term renews.
One quarter is a small sample, but even one signed case would have put B at $2,700 per case, still far over the limit. The decision rule matters more than the numbers: set it first, and use the same rule for every listing.
What should I ask before signing a directory contract?
- How long is the term, does it renew automatically, and how many days' notice does cancelling need?
- Who owns the profile page and any reviews on it if I leave?
- What does the contract call a "lead": a call, a form, or a signed case? Is a call counted if it is a wrong number or a sales call?
- Are calls recorded, and who hears the recordings?
- Can I put a tag on my website link, and what reports will you give me?
- Is the price in the contract, and will it change at renewal?
- Does the product pay anyone for recommending me, or is it advertising only?
Put the answers in the contract or an email, and file them with the review sheet.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay to be listed in a lawyer directory?
Not always. Justia says a basic profile in its directory is free and also appears in Cornell's LII directory, and Super Lawyers publishes the names of the lawyers it selects at no charge. Paying buys placement and extra features; of the sellers I checked, only Martindale-Avvo publishes a starting price, so ask a rep for the rest in writing.
Does a directory listing help my firm show up on Google?
I did not find a Google source saying that a directory listing or its link raises your rankings, and Google's spam policies count buying links for ranking purposes as link spam. So I would not buy a listing for its link. Buy it for the visits and calls you can measure.
Does a paid directory profile count as paying for a recommendation?
The ABA's comment to Model Rule 7.2 names online directory listings among the advertising costs a lawyer may pay, and says a listing by practice area, without more, is not a recommendation. Paying a lawyer referral service is a separate exception, and the comment says the rule only permits paying not-for-profit or qualified ones. Each state bar sets its own rules, so check yours; this is not legal advice and I am not a lawyer.
How do I know which directory my new client came from?
Put a tag on the website link of every profile, name the directory in intake's source list, and ask each caller how they found you. The tag shows visits in Google Analytics; the intake answer shows the people who phoned from a listing and never visited your site.
What should I do if a directory has the wrong address or phone for my firm?
Fix it where the directory lets you, starting with your record at the state bar or law society, since that is the one a regulator keeps. For your Google Business Profile, Google asks that the business be represented as it is consistently represented in the real world, with a phone number under its direct control. If a directory will not correct a listing, ask in writing and note the date.
Written by
Alexander Cheberko
Marketing Analytics & Conversion Tracking Engineer, US and Canada, run remotely
- Media buyer on Google Ads and Meta Ads from October 2023 to September 2025, nearly $700K in spend.
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