Workers' compensation leads are inquiries from people who may be seeking legal help relating to a workplace injury or workers' compensation claim.
Vendors may deliver form leads, phone calls, screened prospects, appointments or live transfers. Law firms should evaluate the complete advertising and intake chain rather than treating the contact record as a commodity.
Lead Models
| Product | Deliverable |
|---|---|
| Shared lead | Inquiry sent to multiple participating firms |
| Exclusive lead | Inquiry allocated under provider terms |
| Inbound call | Consumer directly calls tracking number |
| Screened lead | Objective criteria applied |
| Appointment | Consultation scheduled |
Source and Advertising
Firms should understand:
- where the person saw the advertising
- whose brand appeared
- what claims were made
- whether the inquiry is resold
- who performed screening
- whether another vendor handled the caller
ABA Model Rule 7.2's commentary recognizes that lawyers may pay for certain Internet-based lead generation, but distinguishes lead generation from a paid recommendation and places responsibility on lawyers to ensure communications remain consistent with professional-conduct rules. Actual state rules control.
Qualification
Objective criteria might include:
- jurisdiction
- workplace incident
- date
- representation status
- basic claim status
- availability for consultation
A lead generator should not independently tell a prospect that the person has a legally valid claim.
Economics
Track:
lead → completed intake → attorney review → signed client → retained matter
A low CPL can mask a high cost per signed client.
Due Diligence
Review ads, landing pages, scripts, vendor chain, exclusivity, data retention and complaint handling.