Last month, the team at iLawyer Marketing conducted one of our consumers studies, which we do multiple times per year. One of the questions we asked participants was this: If you needed to hire a personal injury attorney, what would be the most important factors in your decision making process? This was an open ended answer, so there were no pre-selected options for participants to choose from. With 1,274 participants in our study, we heard many different answers, but certain things stood out in importance to consumers.
Experience and Track Record
Experience and track record was by far the most common decision making factor mentioned by consumers in our study, with nearly 40% of respondents citing them as their primary consideration. Experience in terms of how many years practicing law and experience handling the specific type of case the consumer has. Notably, 27% of our respondents specifically mentioned wanting to see evidence of success. When discussing track record, “success rate” was the most commonly used term (113 mentions), followed by “track record” (75 mentions). Various forms of “winning” appeared across 97 responses when combined. If you are not featuring your case results on your website where visitors can easily find it, I can guarantee that you are losing leads and cases to your competitors who are. Just having your results mentioned on your site is not enough, it needs to stand out so your visitors don’t miss seeing them.
Sample responses:
- “When choosing a personal injury attorney, the most important factors to consider are their experience in handling cases similar to yours, a proven track record of success, strong reputation, good communication skills, and a clear understanding of your case specifics; ensuring they have the knowledge and ability to effectively navigate your legal situation and advocate for your best interests.”
- “Knowledge, experience, dedication, trustworthiness, success rate”
- “Track record and amount of the cases they have won in the past.”
- “Track record and in what areas that success has come from (kinds of cases)”
- “How long they’ve been in business. Their reputation, and track record for winning cases similar to mine.”
Reputation and Reviews
Reputation/reviews stood out as the second most significant factor in our study. Our past consumers studies have showed that nearly 90% of consumers won’t considering hiring a law firm unless they have 4 star reviews or higher. Consumers need social proof in 2025 before making their decision on which attorney hire. We’ve mentioned it before, but get your Google reviews (consistently!) and do not sleep on getting Yelp reviews.
Sample responses:
- “How long they’ve been in business. Their reputation and record for winning cases.”
- “The #1 important factor would be their ratings on either websites or social media platforms. The #2 most important factor would be how long they have been in practice for & if their practice works on just state(s) alone or federal.”
- “Reviews online from people that have used their services in the past.”
- “Reputation & Reviews – I’d check client testimonials, online reviews, and peer recommendations to see if they have a strong reputation for professionalism and results. Fee Structure & Costs – Many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis (they only get paid if they win). I’d confirm their fee percentage and if there are any hidden costs. Communication & Availability – I’d want someone who is responsive, explains things clearly, and keeps me updated throughout the case. Resources & Team – A well-staffed firm with investigators, medical experts, and other specialists would be beneficial for building a strong case.”
Costs and Fees
Despite the fact that personal injury attorneys charge on a contingency fee basis, many respondents specifically mentioned fees. We know from prior studies that nearly 50% of all consumers do not know how personal injury attorneys charge, so this is not a surprise that so many people are concerned with costs. Of course they are also concerned with what percentage of the settlement that the law firm will take. In our study, 1 in 5 people mentioned cost as a primary factor.
Sample responses:
- “How much it costs per hour, experience, reliability and loyalty.”
- “The most important factors in my decision making process would be is the affordability of the law firm, the number of years the lawyer has been practicing law, and the moral character and personality of the lawyer.”
- “Many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis (they only get paid if they win). I’d confirm their fee percentage and if there are any hidden costs.”
- “I’d prefer an attorney with solid courtroom experience rather than just a negotiator. I’ll confirm their fee percentage and if there are any other hidden costs.”
- “That they don’t charge me unless they win.”
Honesty, Ethics and Trust
Honesty, ethics and trust comments appeared in 100 responses (8%). While this percentage might seem relatively low, we noticed that these mentions often appeared alongside other factors, so we know that ethics are part of the decision making factors for plenty of people. We included comments in this category if they mentioned honesty, trust, ethics, integrity, trustworthy, and morals.
Sample comments:
- “Honesty and reputation”
- “Honesty, efficient, explains all details, and maybe a few years of experience”
- “A law firm I can trust to be honest with me”
- “How available they are for questions or concerns, transparency and honesty”
- “A good honest reputation and proven results”
Communication
Communication skills and accessibility appeared in 69 responses. When mentioned, respondents often emphasized the importance of clear explanation of legal processes and regular updates about their cases. The relatively low percentage might indicate that good communication is considered a basic expectation rather than a differentiating factor.
Location and Accessibility
Location was the least frequently mentioned factor in our survey, appearing in only 26 responses. This relatively low emphasis on location reflects the increasing acceptance of remote legal services.
Takeaways
Consumers are considering multiple factors when it comes to hiring law firms in 2025. As this chart shows, and as you can see in the sample responses, most people mention multiple factors in their decision making process.
Making sure that you are addressing the primary decision driving factors in your marketing is extremely important if you want to sign more new cases in 2025. If your website visitors cannot easily find the most important factors (experience handling specific cases, track record, reviews/testimonials, costs), you will lose cases to your competitors. If you are running paid ads, are your landing pages addressing these specifically? On your website, are the key factors high up on your webpage so that your users don’t have to scroll to find this info? Remember, just because something is mentioned on your site, that does not mean your visitors will see it! If your website is not built with conversion rate optimization (CRO) in mind, I can absolutely guarantee that you are losing leads, cases, and revenue.