Yes, if you pay for the lead, not for a recommendation
The ABA Model Rules, which serve as models for the ethics rules of most US states (ABA: About the Model Rules), ban paying anyone to recommend you, with a few exceptions. The first covers ads:
"A lawyer shall not compensate, give or promise anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer's services except that a lawyer may: (1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule" (ABA Model Rule 7.2(b))
The comment to the rule names lead generators directly:
"A lawyer may pay others for generating client leads, such as Internet-based client leads, as long as the lead generator does not recommend the lawyer, any payment to the lead generator is consistent with Rules 1.5(e) (division of fees) and 5.4 (professional independence of the lawyer), and the lead generator's communications are consistent with Rule 7.1" (ABA Model Rule 7.2, Comment 5)
So three things decide whether a personal injury, immigration or family law lead deal is allowed: how the company talks to the consumer, how it picks you, and how you pay it. Your own state's version of the rule is the one that binds you.
Pay per lead vs pay per case
How the price is set is where most deals fail. A fee tied to whether the client signs, or to what the case earns, looks like sharing a legal fee with a nonlawyer:
"A lawyer or law firm shall not share legal fees with a nonlawyer" (ABA Model Rule 5.4(a))
| How the lead company charges | Usual answer | Where it's said |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed price per click or per view of your profile | Generally allowed | Florida Bar Opinion 18-1 |
| Fixed price per lead or per matter sent to you | Generally allowed if it doesn't depend on the outcome | Florida Bar Opinion 18-1; NYSBA Opinion 1294 |
| Flat fee per signed or retained case | Generally not allowed | Florida Bar Opinion 18-1; NYSBA Opinion 1294 |
| Percentage of your fee or of the settlement | Not allowed (fee-sharing) | ABA Rule 5.4(a); Florida Rule 4-7.22 comment |
| Monthly flat fee for ads, a directory listing or Google Ads management | Allowed as advertising cost | ABA Rule 7.2, Comment 3; Florida Bar Opinion 18-1 |
Florida's opinion is advisory, not binding. The New York State Bar Association's ethics committee said in March 2026 that a lawyer's payment to a platform is a permissible lead payment only if "the payment by the lawyer does not vary depending on whether a retention results or on the amount of any resulting fee" (NYSBA Opinion 1294).
What the lead company can't say or do
The lead company's ads and intake are treated like yours. Comment 5 bars paying a lead generator that:
"states, implies, or creates a reasonable impression that it is recommending the lawyer, is making the referral without payment from the lawyer, or has analyzed a person's legal problems when determining which lawyer should receive the referral." (ABA Model Rule 7.2, Comment 5)
In plain terms, red flags on the lead company's site or call script:
- "We'll match you with the best accident lawyer for your case" (a recommendation, and an analysis of the problem).
- "Free referral service" with no word that lawyers pay to be listed.
- An intake agent who reviews the facts and then picks the lawyer.
A plain directory is different: listings "that list lawyers by practice area, without more, do not constitute impermissible 'recommendations'" (ABA Model Rule 7.2, Comment 2).
Texas, Florida and New York
| State | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Texas | Rule 7.03(e) bars paying a nonlawyer "for soliciting or referring prospective clients," but allows "reasonable fees for advertising and public relations services." Comment 13 repeats the ABA lead-generator test (Texas Rule 7.03). |
| Florida | Any company paid for "providing tips or leads for prospective clients to lawyers" is a "qualifying provider." You may join one only if it meets 12 conditions, including no fee that is "a division or sharing of fees" and lawyers "from at least 4 different law firms" on its panel. You must report to the Bar within 15 days of joining or leaving (Florida Rule 4-7.22). |
| New York | Per-lead payment to a platform is allowed if it doesn't recommend you, uses "neutral, disclosed criteria" to choose the lawyer, and the price doesn't depend on retention or fee (NYSBA Opinion 1294). |
Florida's comment spells out the fee test: "A fee calculated as a percentage of the fee received by a lawyer, or based on the success or perceived value of the case, would be an improper division of fees" (Florida Rule 4-7.22, Comment).
Canada: no rewards to non-lawyers for referrals
In Canada the model rule reads more broadly. The Federation of Law Societies' Model Code, which each law society maps its own rules to (FLSC), says a lawyer must not:
"give any financial or other reward for the referral of clients or client matters to any person who is not a lawyer." (FLSC Model Code, rule 3.6-7(b))
Its commentary still allows "reasonable expenditures on promotional items or activities that might result in the referral of clients generally by a non-lawyer" (FLSC Model Code, rule 3.6-7, Commentary 1). The Model Code does not mention lead generators, so a per-lead deal with a non-lawyer is a question for your own law society.
Questions to ask before you sign
- How do your ads and scripts describe the lawyers? Ask for the actual copy.
- How do you pick which lawyer gets a lead? Who else gets the same lead?
- What exactly triggers a charge: a click, a lead, a consultation, or a signed case?
- Did the consumer agree to be called and texted by my firm? (See buying leads and TCPA consent.)
- In Florida: do you file reports with the Bar as a qualifying provider, and can you document compliance?
Example
Per-lead PI leads in Texas
A firm pays $150 for each exclusive car-accident lead, whether or not the caller signs. The vendor's ads say "Talk to a local injury lawyer," not "the best." This fits the per-lead model the comment describes.
"Pay only when you sign the case"
A vendor offers immigration leads for $1,000 per retained client and nothing for the rest. The price depends on retention, which Florida's Opinion 18-1 calls generally impermissible and New York's Opinion 1294 rules out.
Toronto firm buying leads
A Toronto firm is offered leads at CAD 80 each by a marketing company. The Model Code bars rewards to non-lawyers for referrals, so the firm checks the Law Society of Ontario's own rules before signing.
Different for you?
- Paying Google instead of a lead company: Google Ads for lawyers.
- Leads arrive but don't sign: personal injury intake.
- Texas or Florida ads need bar filing: Texas and Florida lawyer ad filing.
- Practising in Ontario: Ontario lawyer advertising rules.
- Want to own your leads instead of renting them: Paid Ads Agent.