The history and evolution of the legal client: 2014 through 2024

Over 10 years ago, “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons was climbing the charts on its way to No. 1. “Iron Man 3″ took the top spot at the box office and “The Big Bang Theory” was must-see TV. Today, Imagine Dragons is still touring, but the version of “Radioactive” the band plays is ‘a new interpretation.’ Superhero movies are still going strong, but Iron Man himself hasn’t headlined one of them in more than a decade. And “The Big Bang Theory” is still popular in reruns, but a new episode hasn’t been filmed since 2019.  

These trends demonstrate that things change a lot in 10 years. Nowhere is that more evident than in the U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey, a poll of 2,000 U.S. adults with a legal need commissioned annually by Thomson Reuters and FindLaw. Every year, it yields a wealth of information about how potential law firm clients find information, weigh their options, and decide to — or not to — hire a lawyer. 

In this post, we’ll share some survey highlights from the past decade and point out what they’re telling solo attorneys and small law firms about how they ought to market themselves. 

1. Online reviews matter more than you realize

From 2019 to 2023, FindLaw’s surveys found that up to 37% of respondents used online reviews as online resources to find the right attorney. In the 2024 survey, 82% of respondents who contacted an attorney and learned about them online reported using online reviews. What’s more: Nearly 40% of those who consulted online reviews said those reviews were their primary source of information. It’s clear that online reviews have considerably increased in popularity, and thus have grown in importance as a marketing tool for lawyers. 

How you should respond:  

If you are neglecting online reviews, you’re missing out on a very powerful marketing resource. To generate the robust body of reviews that legal clients want to see, politely asking clients for a review should be part of your ordinary course of business. It is a simple technique that they may not think of doing unless you ask, and it can be beneficial for them to share their experiences in order to help you gain new business as an attorney. 

You don’t have much time to capture a client

Year over year, FindLaw’s survey shows that most would-be legal clients contact only one attorney before making a hiring decision. In 2024, that’s what 59% of respondents reported doing. In 2023’s survey, 17% of respondents also reported taking action on a hiring decision within one day, and 39% within one week. These trends make sense when you remember that many consumers with a legal need haven’t had to hire an attorney before. They’ve realized they have an important matter on their hands and want to feel that it is being handled, even if it’s in the very early stages. 

How you should respond: 

The most frequently cited reason for consumers moving on to a new attorney after deciding not to hire the first one? Being too slow in responding. However, it isn’t realistic to think you can be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. What you can do is engage with potential clients in time using a call-answering or web chat service. These tools work around the clock so you don’t have to. Many potential legal clients just want to know their need has been acknowledged. That’s enough to keep them from going someplace else. 

The internet and social media are influential

Long gone are the days when social media was just a minimal form of entertainment. Today, it’s woven into the fabric of our daily lives. In 2022 and 2023, 21% of survey respondents said they learned about the attorney they contacted through social media. In 2024, 63% of respondents who used the internet to look for information about their contacted attorney used social media, primarily Facebook.  

Additionally, in the first-ever U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey, only 9% of respondents reported using the internet to look for information on hiring an attorney. In 2023’s survey, 45% of respondents who hired an attorney used online resources to help make their ultimate decision. The web, including social media, has become influential enough to serve as major sources of information for many people, including potential legal clients. 

How you should respond:  

Social media — particularly Facebook and LinkedIn — are powerful platforms for you to build your brand on and get in front of new legal clients. Regularly posting about legal topics and updates helps you show your human side, which can help ease the anxieties many people feel about hiring an attorney. If your to-do list is already too long, legal marketing providers offer social media marketing services. Engaging a vendor will save you time, reap the rewards of a strong social media presence, and leave you with more capacity for your actual legal work.

Even with all the information they provide, the U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Surveys of years past don’t answer one question: What’s next? While no one can answer with certainty, it should be quite clear that clients with a legal need will always want to find attorneys to represent them — and if you’re responsive to how these consumers think and act, you can position yourself and your firm to be ready for them.  

Learn more key takeaways from FindLaw’s 2024 survey, then contact a digital marketing expert at FindLaw to start capturing legal clients’ needs today.