Law Firm Ad Account Handover Checklist

Before changing an advertising provider, your firm should be able to identify who controls each account, who approves campaign claims, where new inquiries go, and which information reaches advertising platforms.

Those details belong in the handover plan before permissions or payment arrangements change. They let the managing partner, marketing lead and intake team evaluate the same proposal, rather than discovering different assumptions after a campaign starts.

This checklist is for US law firms planning advertising operations. It is not legal advice or a finding that a campaign meets every applicable rule. Have the firm’s responsible lawyer review the requirements for the jurisdictions, practice areas and communications involved. The operational checks below also do not guarantee platform approval or uninterrupted delivery.

Identify the accounts and the people with control

Make an inventory of the assets the proposed provider will touch:

For each item, record the owning business, current administrators, provider permissions, renewal or payment dependencies, and what happens when the contract ends. Keep passwords and recovery codes out of the shared handover document.

Google manager linking and administrative ownership are distinct. Linking an existing account does not automatically make the manager its owner; owner status confers additional privileges. Review those permissions before granting them. Google manager-account ownership

Ask the provider to explain any asset your firm would not control directly. Agree on access removal, reporting exports, phone-number arrangements and outstanding-balance handling before the handover. Do not rely on the phrase “you own everything” without an asset-by-asset explanation.

Keep advertising review with a named lawyer

Assign a reviewer for the actual claims, destinations and follow-up messages. Give that person the ad copy, landing page, practice area, target locations and intended audience, rather than asking for approval of a campaign name alone.

The ABA Model Rules are a useful reference, but your review must use the rules applicable to your firm. Model Rule 7.1 addresses false or misleading communications, and Model Rule 7.2 addresses advertising and related boundaries. ABA Rule 7.1, ABA Rule 7.2

For a concrete jurisdictional example, California Rule 7.1’s commentary addresses misleading guarantees and unjustified expectations from results or testimonials. It also requires a communication implying no fee without recovery to disclose whether the client remains liable for costs. That example is not a nationwide disclosure template. State Bar of California advertising rules

Keep a review log containing the approved version, reviewer, jurisdiction, date and conditions. Ask the responsible lawyer which changes need another review and what records must be retained. A provider’s general compliance statement is insufficient evidence for a particular advertisement.

Review Local Services Ads separately when used

If the program includes Google Local Services Ads, list its screening requirements as a separate workstream. Google says its checks vary by business category and location. The US requirements for listed lawyer categories include state-bar license checks for each lawyer in that category, with other checks and insurance requirements varying. Google Local Services screening process, US business screening requirements

Record the specific service category, location, professionals covered, current status and person responsible for outstanding requests. Do not treat an ordinary Google Search campaign’s status as proof that an LSA profile has completed screening, or use the LSA checklist as a universal description of every Google ad campaign.

Decide what intake information must stay out of ad tools

Separate operational reporting from the details a prospective client shares with the firm. The handover should name each event, field, recipient and purpose. Review call recordings, free-text forms, page URLs, CRM fields and integration logs as well as visible tags.

Google prohibits using conversions related to sensitive categories for enhanced conversions and store-sales uploads. Its examples include health information, alleged crimes, divorce or separation and negative financial status. A law firm needs to assess the conversion’s meaning, not just whether a name or email is hashed. Google customer-data policy

Hashing is not a blanket permission to send intake data. Nor does moving a connection to a server automatically make its contents appropriate for advertising use.

Use this review sequence before activating a new integration:

  1. List the proposed events and fields without adding real client data.
  2. Have the firm’s privacy and advertising reviewers assess permitted collection and recipients.
  3. Use synthetic test inquiries to inspect actual outbound payloads and URLs.
  4. Disable or remove fields and events that are not approved.
  5. Record who may alter the integration and how a change is checked.

Audience use needs its own review. Google restricts advertiser-curated audiences for sensitive-interest categories. Eligibility to run an ad does not by itself establish eligibility to build a remarketing audience from its visitors. Google personalized-advertising restrictions

Keep any other platform’s data connection on a separate checklist. Do not assume that a Google decision or a generic server-side implementation covers Meta or TikTok.

Test intake routing before changing live operations

Agree on a test that does not expose client information. Send a clearly labeled synthetic inquiry through each approved form and call route. Check that it reaches the expected queue, that the correct team receives the notification, and that duplicates are handled consistently.

Document who responds when a form, number or integration stops working. Include the access needed to investigate, the vendor contact and the authorized rollback. Intake continuity planning should address your own systems even when advertising delivery is under platform review.

If an account is suspended, use the official remediation process. Google prohibits new accounts used to re-enter its advertising system after a suspension. An account handover must not become a means of evading that decision. Google circumventing-systems policy

Compare economics using the same definitions

A low cost per inquiry can hide a weak intake outcome. Define the stages your firm actually uses: inquiry, qualified inquiry, consultation, retained client and collected fees. State the reporting period and allow for the time between stages.

For a simple media-only measure, divide advertising spend by the number of retained clients attributed to the same cohort under your chosen reporting method. Report management, intake and other costs separately, or name them explicitly if they are included.

For example, $30,000 of media spend and 12 retained clients produces a media-only cost of $2,500 per retained client. If that cohort later reaches 15, the figure becomes $2,000. These are invented arithmetic examples, not AdsInfra results, industry benchmarks or a forecast for your firm.

Do not value every interrupted inquiry at a potential settlement amount. A planning estimate should show its assumptions about conversion, timing, recoverability, fees and costs. An inquiry, a signed engagement and collected revenue are different outcomes.

Use these questions to approve the handover

Record ready, blocked or not applicable for each question, with an owner and evidence. A blocked item should lead to a specific next step, not an improvised workaround.

Discuss a scoped infrastructure review

Legal Ad Infra’s published scope covers planning around advertising accounts, billing, access and intake routing for qualified legal teams. A useful first inquiry identifies your platforms, operating locations and the account, billing or routing issue you want reviewed.

Request a legal infrastructure review. Do not include client names, case details, medical information, credentials or documents in the inquiry. Scope, eligibility and implementation timing are reviewed for the particular program; advertising and professional-responsibility decisions remain with the firm and relevant authorities.

Policy sources checked 3 October 2026. Confirm current requirements before changing a live program.