Here’s a question I get often from my clients: do we have to offer free consultations?
Most lawyers fear offering free consultations.
They believe it will open their intake to clients who sound like this.
But, as I said in my LinkedIn post this week (follow me!), I'm a believer. I promised to explain why, and here it is.
Let’s begin by looking at the experiment that inspired this newsletter.
The Experiment: Remove “Free” From Ads and Landing Pages
One of my clients wanted to test whether “free” actually mattered or if their campaign would perform as well without it.
Free consultations take time to administer, and they can often attract tire-kickers looking for free advice and nothing more (more on that later).
So, we built a controlled Google Ads experiment with two versions of the same campaign:
Same keywords
Same bidding
Same location targeting
Same landing pages
The only change was removing the word “Free” from the ad copy, the extensions, and the consultation CTA. One variable.
Here's what happened when “free” was removed:
Click Through Rate dropped 15.63%
Cost Per Click increased 46%
Conversion Rate dropped 6%
Cost Per Lead increased 55%
One word and a significant decline in performance.
Why “Free” Works
Most people explain this with a vague line about “lowering the barrier to entry.”
I think that's only half the story.
There are two separate things happening, and the second one is the part most firms miss.
1. Google’s Auction Mechanics
In paid search, a higher Click Through Rate feeds your Quality Score, and Quality Score is a direct input into what you pay per click.
Here’s how this works:
When CTR dropped 15.63%, Google decided the ads were less relevant and started charging more for the same clicks.
That's most of where the 46% CPC jump came from.
"Free" wasn't just persuading potential clients. It was lowering the cost in the auction itself.
Remove it and you pay a premium for every click.
2. The Buyer's State of Mind
People hire lawyers under stress, and usually for the first time.
They don't know how much a lawyer costs.
They're already afraid of the bill.
The fear of the unknown price is a barrier to contacting a firm.
But, here’s the thing to remember:
"Free" doesn't register as a price. It registers as no risk.
Removing it adds friction at the exact moment they're most likely to hesitate and click a competitor instead.
The Objection
The pushback I hear is often the same: "Free consultations undervalue my time."
This is an important point:
A free consultation should not be a free advice session.
In fact, I call them Free Qualifications.
You're learning two things:
Can you solve this person's problem?
Do you want to represent them?
They're deciding one:
Do they trust you?
Nobody is owed a legal strategy on the call.
One exception: if the advice itself is your product and the client may never come back, charge for it.
But, in most B2C areas of law such as criminal, personal injury, family, and immigration, the representation is the product, not the consult.
Key Take Aways
If you run paid search for your firm:
Keep “free” in your ad copy, extensions, and consultation CTA. The data above is what happens when you don't.
Run “Free Qualifications,” not advice-rich consultations. Set this up in the first minute: this call is to understand their situation and see if you’re the right fit, not to map out their whole case. Cap the length. End with one clear next step: retain, or refer out.
Ciao for now,
C
