What should your firm pay for case acquisition?
Start with what reaches your intake team. A lead, a connected call and a signed retainer come with different amounts of work attached. Here’s what to compare before you commit.
What reaches your team?
Start here when comparing providers. The handoff determines how much contact, qualification and signing work your staff still needs to handle.
Lead
You receive a prospective client’s information. Check what has been qualified and who handles contact, intake and signing.
Live transfer
A caller is connected to your team. Agree what qualifies the call and who takes responsibility once it reaches the firm.
Signed retainer
A representation agreement comes with the handoff. Your team needs the case facts and supporting records to review it.
Accepted case
Your firm decides the matter fits. Track that decision, along with files still waiting for information or review.
Compare the same kind of service.
A proposal should make the delivery stage and the work included easy to understand. These examples show the price differences across several acquisition models.
Signed MVA services
Base price per signed MVA unit
Qualification, intake and retainer coordination sit within the service. Ask which case facts and documents arrive with the signed retainer.
Signed-retainer packages
Package charge per signed MVA unit
For a block of signed retainers, agree the case criteria, review window and process for files that need more information.
MVA lead packages
Gross charge per MVA lead
More of the contact and intake work may sit with your team. Confirm exclusivity and which qualification steps have already been completed.
Workers’ compensation leads
Charge per workers’ compensation lead
Workers’ compensation has its own case criteria and intake questions. Compare it with the same practice area when evaluating an offer.
Legal live transfers
Base price per legal transfer
Define the connection and qualification you are buying. Agree who handles the conversation and follow-up after the call reaches your firm.
Historical price examples from selected provider programs, 2025–2026. Base prices exclude additional fees; gross package charges include recorded fees. The examples cover different case criteria. CaseLead quotes are scoped to your firm’s requirements.
Give each order a clear purpose.
One recurring MVA program began with a 10-unit order, followed by four 30-unit orders and a 20-unit order. The sequence shows how a purchase can be broken into defined assignments.
A six-order MVA program
150 units ordered
Across six assignments
- 10Order 1
- 30Order 2
- 30Order 3
- 30Order 4
- 30Order 5
- 20Order 6
Choose an order size your team can review properly. Give the provider feedback on case fit, missing information and the handoff while the group is still being worked. The next order should reflect what your firm has learned.
Know what remains with intake.
Ask what your team will still need to confirm, collect or complete after delivery. That workload belongs in the cost comparison.
Agree how issues get resolved.
Give reviewers a deadline and a way to flag missing information or a poor fit. Record the decision and any agreed credit or replacement.
Keep the price understandable.
Separate the acquisition charge from processing fees, setup work and campaign management. Each part should have a defined scope.
Use the first order to plan the next.
Review the files while the details are fresh. Share the reasons for acceptance and rejection, then adjust the next assignment around that feedback.
Questions to settle before the first order.
Walk through these with your marketing lead, intake director and the partner approving the engagement. Write down the answers so everyone is working to the same expectations.
| Decision | Ask the provider | Record in the brief |
|---|---|---|
| Price | What triggers a charge? | The agreed lead, call or signing event, plus any additional fees. |
| Case fit | What has been checked before handoff? | The matter type, jurisdiction, required answers and open questions. |
| Review | How long does our team have? | A review deadline and a way to flag pending information. |
| Responsibilities | Who handles each step? | Advertising, follow-up, qualification, intake, signing and file preparation. |
| Credits and replacements | What happens when a file does not fit? | The review process, issue reason and agreed remedy. |
| Reporting | Can we follow each file through review? | A consistent delivery group with accepted, pending and rejected statuses. |
Include charges and fees, subtract reconciled credits and use cases from the same delivery group. Show pending reviews separately. If no cases have been accepted yet, report the spend and status while review continues.
Work through the calculation →What firms ask before getting started.
How much do personal injury leads cost?
The historical MVA lead examples on this page range from $257.25 to $387.75 per unit, including recorded charges. A useful quote should also tell you how the lead is qualified, whether it is exclusive and what your team needs to do next.
How much do signed MVA cases cost?
The selected signed MVA examples show base prices of $2,600–$3,400 per unit and separate package charges of $3,300–$3,500 per unit. Compare the intake work, documents, fees and review terms included in the offer. CaseLead pricing is set around your firm’s scope.
How do we calculate cost per accepted case?
Add the acquisition charges and fees for a delivery group, subtract agreed credits that have been reconciled, then divide by the cases your firm has accepted from that group. Keep pending reviews separate. If you include your own intake costs, use the same cost definition when comparing providers.
What should arrive with a signed case?
Agree the packet before work starts: the firm’s retainer, signing record, qualification summary, source and contact history, supporting documents and anything that still needs an answer. Your reviewers should be able to see the status of the matter without reconstructing the intake conversation.
What happens when a case does not fit?
That should be covered in the engagement terms. Agree the review window, reasons for rejection, information needed to resolve an issue and any replacement or credit rules. Give each file a clear decision so the next order can reflect what your firm is accepting.
Should we buy a large order straight away?
Choose a starting quantity your intake team can review properly. Use the first group to check the fit, handoff and follow-up process, then agree the next order with those results in view. A bigger order needs enough review capacity behind it.
Tell us what your firm wants to take on.
Let’s talk about your markets, case criteria and the workload your intake team can handle. We’ll work through the acquisition and intake support your firm needs.