Attorney Lead Service: Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Contract

The contract terms of an attorney lead service agreement often receive less scrutiny than the advertised price per lead, even though commitment length, cancellation terms, and replacement policies can significantly affect the real cost and risk of a given arrangement.

Commitment Length and Minimum Volume

Understand whether you're committing to a minimum monthly volume or spend, and for how long. Shorter initial commitments, even at a slightly less favorable per-lead price, generally reduce risk while you're still validating a new provider's actual performance.

Cancellation and Notice Terms

• Confirm exactly how much notice is required to cancel or pause service.
• Ask whether canceling mid-contract incurs any penalty or remaining balance obligation.
• Understand whether pausing (rather than fully canceling) is an available option during slow periods.

Replacement and Credit Policy for Invalid Leads

Get specific, written clarity on what qualifies for a credit or replacement — a wrong number, a lead outside your specified geography or practice area — and how quickly credits are issued. A vague or restrictive policy here effectively raises your real cost per usable lead.

Data Ownership and Usage Terms

Clarify whether the leads delivered to you remain exclusively yours to contact indefinitely, or whether there are restrictions on how long or how you can use the contact information provided.

Reporting and Account Access

Confirm what reporting and dashboard access you'll have to track delivery, and whether account management support is included or billed separately.

Reviewing Terms Before You Commit

A few extra minutes reviewing these terms before signing can prevent significant frustration later. For the broader due diligence process this fits into, see our guide to buying attorney leads.