Fractional CMO for employment law firms. More viable claims, screened faster, at a lower cost per signed case.
Most callers have a bad boss, not a legal claim. We help plaintiff and employer-side firms aim at the matters they take, screen in a day instead of a week, respect filing deadlines, and measure cost per signed case instead of cost per call.
Where employment law marketing wastes screening time.
In at-will states, most workplace complaints aren't legal claims. Each of the seven dimensions decides whether your firm finds the viable ones or drowns in the rest.
- Problem 01Marketing strategy
Your ads attract every workplace complaint.
Discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour, harassment and severance reviews differ in value and in proof. Broad 'fired unfairly' messaging fills intake with at-will terminations you'll turn away. Name the claims you take.
Marketing strategy for law firms - Problem 02Marketing data
You can't see which channel brings viable claims.
Say a channel brings 60 inquiries and 3 sign. Cost per lead looks fine, and cost per signed case is 20 times higher. Track rejection reasons and signed cases by source, or you can't tell good claims from noise.
- Problem 03Funnel friction and CRO
Screening takes a week, and the claimant hires someone else.
Employees often face filing deadlines, such as the window to file an EEOC charge. A slow, unclear screen loses strong claims to firms that give a decision and next steps in a day or two.
- Problem 04Marketing process
Declined callers leave with nothing and post about it.
Most callers won't have a viable claim. A respectful decline with resources or a referral protects your reputation. It can also bring referrals back later.
- Problem 05Marketing team
Attorneys screen every inquiry themselves.
When lawyers take every first call, billable hours vanish into conversations a trained screener could handle. Attorney time belongs on the claims that pass the first filter.
In-house, agency or fractional CMO for a law firm - Problem 06Marketing technology
Your intake form collects stories instead of the facts that decide a claim.
Employer size, dates, protected class, documents and pay records decide viability. A form and CRM that capture those up front let your team triage fast and spot patterns that point to class or collective actions.
- Problem 07Marketing communication
Your content reads like a law review article.
Employees search in their own words: 'fired after complaining to HR' or 'not paid overtime.' Content written that way, careful never to promise a result, gets found by the right people and gets them to call.
How the Marketing Impact OS runs in an employment law firm.
We want viable claims surfaced early and less of your time spent screening the rest.
- 01
Weeks 1 and 2
Inspect
We review signed cases, rejection reasons and fees by source. We audit your intake questions and your time to decision.
We also check how you rank for the claim types you take in each market. The dashboard shows what each source cost and how many cases it signed.
What you getA dashboard of signed cases, rejection reasons and cost per signed case by source.
Marketing Impact OSEmployment law firmInspectMarketing attributionLast 90 days vs the 90 beforeAd spend$89,560+12%Signed cases53+8%Cost per signed case$1,690+4%Est. fees$546,500+9%Source Spend Leads Signed Est. fees Cost per case 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 rank fixes by the viable claims each one should add. The list covers pages in workers' own words, screening forms built on viability factors and faster decisions.
It also covers a respectful decline path and referral sharing with other firms.
What you getA ranked list of fixes, each with the viable claims we expect it to add.
Marketing Impact OSEmployment law firmIdeateThe plan, ranked by impactGains per month- 1Answer after-hours calls liveCalls after 6 pm go to voicemail today.+4 signed cases+$41,000 in fees
- 2Move $3,000 a month from Meta to LSALSA costs $1,180 per signed case. Meta costs $4,600.+2 signed cases+$21,000 in fees
- 3Cut Google Ads terms that never signGoogle Ads costs $2,500 per signed case.Save $2,500Same signed cases
- 4Ask every past client for a referralReferrals turn 9 of 40 leads into signed cases.+1 signed case+$10,000 in fees
If the plan holds+7 signed cases a month
- 1
- 03
From week 5, biggest fix first
Implement
Your team and ours build the pages, forms and screening workflow, connect intake to case management, and set up ads by claim type.
The responsible attorney approves every public claim under your state bar's rules.
What you getA work list of claim pages, screening forms and ads, each with an owner, due week and status.
Marketing Impact OSEmployment law 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 signed cases, rejection reasons and screening time by source. Budget moves to the channels that send viable claims.
The loop runs until your docket hits its goal.
What you getA 90-day review of signed cases and screening time against your starting point, with the next decision.
Marketing Impact OSEmployment law firmIterate90 days laterBefore → after- Cost per signed case$1,690$1,243−26%
- Signed cases5366+25%
- Ad spend$89,560$82,060−8%
Cost per signed case by monthZachary's reviewSigned cases went from 53 to 66 on $7,500 less spend. Cost per signed case fell from $1,690 to $1,243. Next: put $2,000 a month into SEO pages for your top two case types. SEO costs $1,200 per signed case.
The numbers we run your employment practice on.
- Viable claim rate by source
- Signed cases by claim type
- Cost per signed claim
- Time to screening decision
- Rejection reasons by channel
- Referrals sent and received
The right level of help for where you are.
Plaintiff firms with steady inquiries usually choose the Fractional CMO Retainer, because screening and channel mix need weekly attention. Employer-side firms that grow through relationships often prefer Fractional CMO Advisory. On either side, the Marketing Impact Roadmap is the first step.
Compare all fractional CMO servicesFrequently asked questions.
How do employment lawyers get more viable cases?
Target the claim types you take and screen early. Pages and ads should speak to specific situations like retaliation or unpaid overtime. Intake should ask for the facts that decide viability, and decisions should come fast. Then signed cases by source show where to spend.
How is employment law marketing different from personal injury marketing?
Employment intake sees far more non-viable inquiries, and screening is fact-heavy. Injury intake checks liability and damages quickly. Employment claims turn on employer size, protected activity, documents and deadlines. The cost to screen often matters more than the cost of the lead.
Can you market to employers as well as employees?
Yes, with a different playbook. Employer-side work grows through HR leaders, CPAs and business owners, with content on compliance changes, events and referrals. Plaintiff work runs on search and intake. Most firms market one side so the message stays clear.
How do you keep employment law ads compliant?
We never promise settlements or imply results. Past outcomes appear only as your state permits, with disclaimers. The responsible attorney reviews every page, ad and email before it goes live, so compliance is part of the build instead of a check after launch.
What does a fractional CMO cost for an employment firm?
It depends on whether you need a plan, senior advice or weekly leadership, plus your ad spend and number of markets. We quote after the assessment call. If the work stops paying for itself, you can end it at the close of any month.
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.