Fractional CMO for criminal defense firms. More retained cases for the charges you want to handle.
The person calling is often a parent or partner, scared and paying the fee. We build visibility for the exact charges you take, intake that can talk through custody, bond and court dates, and a fee conversation that ends in a signed engagement letter. We have helped a law firm grow from one office to seven, and it is still growing.
Where criminal defense marketing loses callers.
Defense firms win on trust, speed and fit with the charge. Each of the seven dimensions either builds that trust or loses the call.
- Problem 01Marketing strategy
Your site lists 'all criminal matters' and ranks for none of them.
Someone facing a federal drug conspiracy searches differently than someone with a shoplifting citation. If you want serious felonies, you need pages, ads and proof built for those charges. A generic list attracts the cheapest calls.
Marketing strategy for law firms - Problem 02Marketing data
You don't know which charges pay for their own marketing.
Misdemeanors bring volume and small fees. Felonies and federal matters bring larger fees and longer work. Without retained fees by charge and source, budget drifts toward whatever rings the phone most.
- Problem 03Funnel friction and CRO
The family calls, and intake only wants to talk to the defendant.
The defendant may be in custody. The parent or partner is the one calling and paying. Intake that can't explain bond, the next court date and how the fee works loses that caller to a firm that can.
- Problem 04Marketing process
Fees get quoted as one large number due tonight.
Defense work splits into phases, from pre-charge to preliminary hearing to trial. Explain phased or flat fees and payment terms clearly, and families decide. Leave it as one big number, and the case goes to whoever made it simple.
- Problem 05Marketing team
The lead attorney does marketing between court settings.
When the partner writes copy and returns web leads between hearings, both jobs suffer. Nobody reviews call recordings, follows up on consults who didn't retain, or keeps reviews coming in.
In-house, agency or fractional CMO for a law firm - Problem 06Marketing technology
Intake notes live in voicemail, texts and a legal pad.
Calls arrive on the office line, the lawyer's cell and by text. With no shared intake system tied to case management, follow-ups slip and conflict checks lag. Nobody can say how many consults became retained cases.
- Problem 07Marketing communication
Clients value privacy, so your review profile looks thin.
Defense clients rarely want public praise. A request process with discreet options, such as initials or private feedback, that follows your bar's rules on testimonials builds proof strangers trust without exposing anyone.
How the Marketing Impact OS runs in a criminal defense firm.
We follow each matter from the first frightened phone call to a signed engagement letter.
- 01
Weeks 1 and 2
Inspect
We pull retained matters and fees by charge and source, and review intake recordings. We map your rankings for each charge near each courthouse.
We also test whether a family member calling at night gets real help. The dashboard shows what each source cost and what it retained.
What you getA dashboard of retained matters, fees and cost per retained client by charge and source.
Marketing Impact OSCriminal defense firmInspectMarketing attributionLast 90 days vs the 90 beforeAd spend$89,560+12%Retained clients53+8%Cost per retained client$1,690+4%Fees$546,500+9%Source Spend Leads Retained Fees Cost per client Google Ads $45,000 300 18 $180,000 $2,500 Local Services Ads $14,160 120 12 $114,000 $1,180 SEO $12,000 140 10 $105,000 $1,200 Referrals $0 40 9 $121,500 $0 Meta $18,400 210 4 $26,000 $4,600 Total $89,560 810 53 $546,500 $1,690 - 02
Weeks 3 and 4
Ideate
We pick the charges worth growing. Then we rank the fixes by the retained clients each one should add.
The list usually covers charge pages, a phased fee explanation, intake scripts for families and calls from custody, and follow-up for consults that didn't retain.
What you getA ranked list of fixes for the charges you want, each with its expected retained clients.
Marketing Impact OSCriminal defense firmIdeateThe plan, ranked by impactGains per month- 1Answer after-hours calls liveCalls after 6 pm go to voicemail today.+4 retained clients+$41,000 in fees
- 2Move $3,000 a month from Meta to LSALSA costs $1,180 per retained client. Meta costs $4,600.+2 retained clients+$21,000 in fees
- 3Cut Google Ads terms that never signGoogle Ads costs $2,500 per retained client.Save $2,500Same retained clients
- 4Ask every past client for a referralReferrals turn 9 of 40 leads into retained clients.+1 retained client+$10,000 in fees
If the plan holds+7 retained clients a month
- 1
- 03
From week 5, biggest fix first
Implement
Your team and ours build the pages, ads, scripts and follow-up.
The responsible attorney reviews everything public under your state bar's rules, including whether past results can appear at all and how.
What you getA work list of pages, ads, scripts and follow-up, each with an owner, due week and status.
Marketing Impact OSCriminal defense firmImplementThe work2 of 4 done- Live answering after 6 pm and on weekendsIntake lead · Week 1Intake leadWeek 1Done
- Move $3,000 a month from Meta to LSAAgency · Week 1AgencyWeek 1Done
- Cut Google Ads terms that never signAgency · Week 3AgencyWeek 3In progress
- Referral ask at every closed matterCase managers · Week 6Case managersWeek 6Next
Monday check-in Every open task gets a status. A late one gets a new date and a reason.
- 04
Every week, with a review every 90 days
Iterate
Each week we read retained fees by charge, source and attorney, plus missed and unreturned calls. Budget shifts toward the charges you want.
The loop runs until you reach your caseload goal.
What you getA 90-day review of retained fees against your starting point, ending in the next decision.
Marketing Impact OSCriminal defense firmIterate90 days laterBefore → after- Cost per retained client$1,690$1,243−26%
- Retained clients5366+25%
- Ad spend$89,560$82,060−8%
Cost per retained client by monthZachary's reviewRetained clients went from 53 to 66 on $7,500 less spend. Cost per retained client fell from $1,690 to $1,243. Next: put $2,000 a month into SEO pages for your top two matter types. SEO costs $1,200 per retained client.
The numbers we run your defense practice on.
- Retained matters by charge type
- Fees retained by source
- Consult-to-retain rate
- Missed call rate
- Cost per retained client
- Rankings by charge and courthouse
The right level of help for where you are.
Defense firms moving toward larger matters usually start with the Marketing Impact Roadmap, then move to the Fractional CMO Retainer for weekly leadership. Partners who want a senior second opinion on budget, hiring and agency decisions choose Fractional CMO Advisory instead.
Compare all fractional CMO servicesFrequently asked questions.
What is the most effective criminal defense marketing?
Charge-specific search visibility plus intake that answers at all hours. Build pages and ads for the exact charges you want, keep reviews coming to your Google Business Profile, and train staff to talk with families about bond and fees. That combination beats broad advertising.
How do we attract more felony and federal cases?
Build for them on purpose. Write a page for each charge and its process, aim ads at those searches, and build referral relationships with lawyers who don't take those matters. Train intake to qualify serious cases fast. Then track retained fees by charge to confirm the shift.
Can a defense firm advertise past case results?
It depends on your state. Many bars allow past results only with a disclaimer that they don't predict future outcomes, and some restrict them further. We draft to your state's rules, and the responsible attorney approves each page before it goes live.
How do you get reviews when clients want privacy?
Ask at the right moment and make privacy easy. We send requests after a matter resolves, offer initials or private feedback, and never pressure or reward reviews in ways your bar prohibits. Over months, that builds steady proof without exposing anyone.
What determines the cost of working with you?
Scope sets the price: the number of attorneys and offices, your ad spend, and whether you need a plan, advice or weekly leadership. We quote after the assessment call. Retainer work runs month to month, and there is no setup fee.
Where to next.
Start with your free Marketing Impact score.
It takes a few minutes. You get a score from 1 to 5 on each of the seven dimensions of your marketing and see where to start. If you’d rather talk first, book a free 30-minute call.