Rules and ethics
Part of Pay per lead solicitors UK: what to ask before you buy
Pay per lead solicitors UK: what to ask before you buy
Pay per lead solicitors UK: what to ask about lawful basis, SRA transparency, sample records and exit terms before you buy conveyancing or personal injury leads.
What to take away
- Pay-per-lead buying only works once the payment event is defined: a form fill, a verified call or a booked appointment.
- Ask which lawful basis supports the sale under the UK GDPR, and keep the evidence with the record.
- Check the seller's Companies House filings and the contract's exit terms before releasing budget.
- Price the whole route, including intake labour and rejected records, not just the headline fee.
How pay per lead works for solicitors
Conveyancing and personal injury make up most of the bought-lead market in England and Wales. A lead is usually priced per form fill, per verified telephone contact or per booked appointment. The fee climbs as the payment event moves closer to a signed retainer.
Lead pricing models compared
Exclusive
- Cost per unit
- Higher
- Conversion risk
- Firm
- Competition
- None
- Payment event
- Form fill
Shared
- Cost per unit
- Lower
- Conversion risk
- Split
- Competition
- Response time
- Payment event
- Form fill
Telemarketing
- Cost per unit
- Per hour
- Conversion risk
- Seller
- Competition
- None
- Payment event
- Hour worked
Fee share
- Cost per unit
- Share of fee
- Conversion risk
- Split
- Competition
- None
- Payment event
- Signed retainer
Exclusive leads cost more because your firm carries the whole conversion risk. Shared leads cost less per unit, but you compete on response time. In practice the first firm to speak to the enquirer usually wins the instruction.
Some sellers charge per hour of telemarketing instead. Others take a share of the eventual fee. Each model moves risk between the firm and the seller, so compare them on the same volume assumption.
Firms in Scotland and Northern Ireland answer to different regulators, so the checks below apply to England and Wales.
The compliance questions to ask first
The SRA's transparency rules require regulated firms to publish price information for services such as residential conveyancing. That published price is a promise, so lead volume has to match the capacity behind it.
Compliance questions before buying
- Which lawful basis supports the sale?
- See the consent wording
- Check the capture timestamp
- Record the balancing test
- Confirm direct marketing rules apply
Buying a lead means buying personal data, so ask which lawful basis supports the sale. Article 6 of the UK GDPR lists the lawful bases, including consent and legitimate interests, and the seller should point to the one it relies on.
If follow-up involves calls, texts or emails, the ICO's guidance on direct marketing and electronic communications applies as well. Ask to see the consent wording and the date it was captured for each record.
Where a seller claims legitimate interests instead of consent, the file should record the balancing test. Our guide to legitimate interest and consent for bought leads shows what that looks like in practice.
What to check before you sign
Due diligence on a legal lead seller is a short sequence, and each step can stop the deal.
- Write down the payment event and the definition of a duplicate.
- Ask for the lawful basis, consent wording and capture timestamp.
- Request ten sample records and test them against the seller's description.
- Check the seller's registration and filings at Companies House.
- Agree refunds for duplicates and a deletion route for rejected records.
- Set a monthly cap in pounds so a poor month cannot drain the marketing budget.
A seller that cannot answer steps two and three in writing is not ready to receive your budget.
What the leads really cost
The headline fee is only one line. Every lead consumes intake time, and a rejected record costs the same admin as a good one.
Worked example, illustrative figures only: a firm buys 100 conveyancing leads at £45 each, so £4,500 a month. If 8% become instructions and average fee income is £950, that is eight cases and £7,600 of revenue before the cost of answering the phone.
| Cost line | Illustrative figure | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Lead fee | £45 per lead | The headline number |
| Intake call | 8 minutes of staff time | Paid whether or not it converts |
| Rejected record | £45 plus the same 8 minutes | Refunded only if the contract allows |
| One instruction | 12.5 leads, or £562.50 | At an 8% conversion rate |
Compare your own figures with cost per lead benchmarks published by sector before accepting a quoted rate, because the same pound figure means different things in conveyancing and in personal injury.
Common questions
Do solicitors need consent to buy leads?
Not always. Consent is one route and legitimate interests is another, but the seller must show which one applies and keep the evidence. An assurance that everything is compliant is not evidence.
What should a pay-per-lead contract include?
The payment event, the definition of a duplicate, refund terms, a notice period and a deletion route for records you reject.
How much do conveyancing leads cost in the UK?
There is no single price. The fee depends on the payment event, exclusivity and geography, so ask for a written unit definition and compare it with your own conversion data.
Can a firm buy personal injury leads?
Yes, provided the data was collected lawfully and your own marketing follows the rules for claims. Check the consent wording for the specific claim type before buying.
