The Headline
26 cases in 4.5 months. Industry pays $30K to acquire one med-mal case. We produced 4 high-value cases for half that — total.
Through May 13, the firm has already produced 26 cases on $14,708 in total ad spend — including 4 high-value cases (medical malpractice and wrongful death). The industry standard cost to acquire a single med-mal case can reach $30,000. This firm acquired 4 of them for roughly $14,700 combined. The year isn’t half over.
Background
A Law Firm Competing in One of the Most Expensive PPC Verticals
Personal injury and medical malpractice paid search is among the most expensive advertising environments in Google Ads — with CPCs regularly exceeding $100–$300 per click in competitive markets. Most firms either overspend chasing volume or underspend and get buried.
This firm needed a campaign structure that could generate qualified case leads — specifically in medical malpractice and wrongful death — without the bloated budgets typical of the space. The goal wasn’t more clicks. It was more signed cases at a defensible cost.
Practice Areas
Personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death — high-value, low-volume case types requiring surgical targeting and strong intent signals.
Objective
Increase signed case volume year-over-year while maintaining efficiency — and specifically attract more high-value med-mal and wrongful death matters.
Case Volume
Year-Over-Year Comparison
2024 = full year. 2025 = Jan 1 – May 13 only. Year not complete.
2024 — Full Year
40 cases
Full year baseline
2025 — Through May 13
26 cases and counting
37% of year elapsed — 65% of last year’s total already hit
2025 — Projected Full Year
~71 cases +78% YoY
At current pace, full-year projection
2024 Baseline
2025 YTD
2025 Projected
Case Breakdown
| Category |
2025 YTD |
Note |
| Total Cases |
26 |
Through May 13, 2025 |
| High-Value Cases (med-mal / wrongful death) |
4 |
Incl. 1 wrongful death |
| Total Spend YTD |
$14,708 |
<$5K/mo avg |
| Cost Per Case (All) |
$566 |
$14,708 ÷ 26 |
| Cost Per High-Value Case |
~$3,677 |
vs. $30K industry avg |
Cost Efficiency
What the Industry Pays vs. What This Firm Pays
Industry Standard
$30,000
Industry average cost to acquire a single medical malpractice or wrongful death case from paid advertising.
4 cases would cost
$120,000
This Firm — 2025 YTD
~$3,677
Effective cost per high-value case based on $14,708 total spend and 4 med-mal / wrongful death cases signed.
4 cases actually cost
$14,708
Savings vs. Industry Average
$105,292 saved
On just 4 high-value cases alone, against the $30K industry benchmark
Cost Reduction
88%
below benchmark
Results
What the Numbers Delivered
✓
26 cases through May 13 — already 65% of the entire prior year’s case volume with over half the year remaining.
✓
4 high-value cases signed — including 1 wrongful death matter — the highest-value case type in personal injury law.
✓
$566 average cost per case — across all 26 signed cases, against a market where even standard PI leads routinely cost $500–$1,500 each before they sign.
✓
~$3,677 per high-value case — medical malpractice and wrongful death cases acquired at roughly 88% below the $30K industry benchmark.
✓
78% projected growth in annual cases — at current pace, 2025 will produce ~71 cases vs. 40 last year, all while staying under $5,000/month in spend.
Approach
Why It Works at This Budget
Most law firms waste budget on high-volume, low-intent queries. We do the opposite.
Hyper-Intent Keywords
Campaigns built around deep-funnel, case-type-specific queries — not vanity terms. Someone searching “wrongful death attorney after hospital error” is not the same as “personal injury lawyer.”
Negative Match Discipline
Aggressive negative keyword lists eliminate click waste from non-qualifying searches — free consultations, DIY legal questions, and out-of-jurisdiction queries that inflate spend without producing cases.
Bid Strategy by Case Value
Medical malpractice and wrongful death campaigns run with higher bids and tighter targeting than general PI — because the case value justifies higher acquisition cost, and volume isn’t the goal.
Conversion Tracking to Intake
Tracking extends beyond form fills and calls — signed case data fed back into campaign optimization, so Google’s algorithm optimizes for actual retained clients, not just inquiries.
Context
Why Med-Mal and Wrongful Death Cases Change the Math Entirely
In personal injury law, a single medical malpractice case can settle for $500,000 to several million dollars. Wrongful death cases often exceed that. At standard contingency fee rates of 33–40%, one case can generate $165,000–$800,000+ in attorney fees.
The industry accepts a $30,000 acquisition cost for these cases because the math works. At $3,677 per case — with a 1-in-26 rate on high-value matters from a sub-$5K monthly budget — the return on this firm’s ad spend is extraordinary by any measure.
Google Ads
Legal PPC
Personal Injury
Medical Malpractice
Wrongful Death
Case Volume Growth
Law Firm Marketing
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