Do you actually know your cost per signed case?

Cost per signed case = annual marketing spend ÷ signed cases, where signed cases = leads × close rate. Most firms track cost per lead but never carry it through to cost per signed case, so they cannot tell which channel actually pays. This calculator does both instantly and then shows that cost as a percentage of your average case value.

A return of 3x to 8x on marketing spend is common for firms with strong intake and a healthy average case value; PI and mass-tort firms often run higher because case values are large. Est. industry figures vary widely by practice area. The honest test is cost per signed case against case value — if marketing eats more than 15-25% of case value, your channel mix or intake is leaking.

Many firms budget 8-15% of revenue on marketing, but the budget matters less than the return. Est. ranges are a starting point, not a rule. I would rather see a firm spend more on a channel returning 6x than cap spend on principle. Use this calculator to find your real cost per case first, then decide whether to scale or fix the channel.

Three usual culprits: a low close rate (intake and speed-to-lead), an expensive channel (over-reliance on paid ads or lead resellers), or a low average case value (wrong case mix). The calculator separates these so you can see which one is doing the damage. Often the cheapest fix is intake, not more ad spend.

Est. $30-$120 per organic or local-SEO lead versus $80-$400+ per paid-search lead in competitive practice areas like personal injury, with shared lead-reseller leads often costing more once you factor close rate. The cheapest qualified leads come from ranking in local and organic search, which is the work I do.

Est. 10-30% from signed retainer on qualified inbound leads is a common band, higher for warm referrals and lower for shared or paid leads. If your close rate is in the single digits, the leak is almost always intake speed and follow-up, not lead volume. Fixing intake usually beats buying more leads.

Yes, a lot. Personal injury and mass tort have high case values and high competition, so cost per case can be high but still profitable. Family law and estate planning have lower case values, so cost per case has to stay tight. The calculator lets you set your practice area defaults and then adjust to your real numbers.

Resold leads can work, but run them through this calculator honestly: shared leads close lower, so your true cost per signed case is often far above the per-lead price. I generally steer firms toward owning their organic and local search presence, because a lead you ranked for closes better and costs nothing the second time.

No, and this is the trap. If intake is leaking, more leads just waste more money. Fix the close rate first — speed to lead, follow-up, and a site that builds trust — then scale the channel. The calculator shows both numbers side by side so you can see which one to fix first.

Mandeep Singh, founder of Sprout Sage Solutions. I build web design, SEO, and local marketing for law firms and professional-service businesses — founder-led, transparent pricing, no contracts. I built this because most firm owners I talk to track cost per lead but have never run their true cost per signed case.

Book a free 30-minute audit. I review your site and local search presence live, show you where signed cases are leaking, and tell you the channel mix that lowers cost per case. No pitch deck, no contract. SEO from $1,500/mo, local SEO from $1,000/mo, sites from $500.