Legal advertising is a multi-billion dollar category that rivals or exceeds many mainstream consumer verticals. For a full market-by-market breakdown, see where $150 million in monthly legal advertising goes. Here’s what the data actually shows.
The $2.5 Billion Picture
In 2024, legal service providers spent an estimated $2.5 billion on 26.9 million ads across all measured media in the United States, according to ATRA’s comprehensive tracking.
For context: pizza restaurants. A category most people would consider heavily advertised, spent $1.1 billion on 4.1 million ads in the same period. Legal outspent pizza by more than 2-to-1.
This isn’t a niche category. Legal advertising sits alongside pharma, auto, and insurance as a major force in media buying.
Where the Money Goes
The $2.5 billion breaks down across channels:
Television remains the largest channel by volume and spend. In 2023, legal advertisers ran 16.4 million TV ads, averaging 45,000 ads per day, or roughly one legal ad every two seconds across U.S. television.
Digital is the second-highest category in dollars, but with an interesting twist: digital ad volume dropped more than 50% from 2020 to 2024, while digital spend increased 84%. Fewer ads, much higher prices.
Out-of-home (billboards, transit) has surged 260%+ since 2017, particularly in high-traffic metros.
Radio continues as a steady supporting channel, particularly for local market saturation.
Personal Injury’s Share
PI and mass tort advertising drives the majority of legal ad dollars:
| Category | Estimated Annual Spend |
|---|---|
| General PI (auto, slip/fall) | ~$1 billion |
| Mass tort topics | ~$152 million |
| TV ads (all legal) | ~$1.2 billion |
Over nearly 20 years, TV ad spend by lawyers and others soliciting legal claims has tripled to approximately $1.2 billion annually. Ad counts are up roughly 5x over that period.
This concentration in PI and mass tort explains why legal advertising feels ubiquitous in certain markets, because in those markets, it genuinely is.
The 2,000 Advertisers
One common misconception: “Only a few national firms advertise heavily.”
In reality, ATRA and Travelers data cite around 2,000 advertisers participating in mass tort and legal advertising over the past decade. The category includes:
- National PI brands (Morgan & Morgan, Thomas J. Henry, etc.)
- Regional powerhouses in specific DMAs
- Mass tort aggregators and lead generators
- Legal service companies (LegalZoom at $59.7M)
- Local firms running concentrated geo campaigns
The top advertisers command significant share, Morgan & Morgan alone spent $218 million in 2024, representing 8% of all legal ad dollars, but thousands of firms compete for the remaining 92%.
What Firms Actually Budget
No universal standard exists for “marketing as percentage of revenue” in legal, but patterns emerge:
Aggressive growth firms: 10-20%+ of revenue allocated to advertising. These are typically PI firms in competitive markets actively pursuing case volume growth.
Established firms with referral base: 5-10% of revenue. Advertising supplements but doesn’t drive the practice.
New market entry or repositioning: 15-25%+ for the launch period, then scaling back as brand awareness builds.
The right number depends entirely on your growth goals, market competition, and case economics.
The Spend Efficiency Question
Here’s what the macro data reveals but doesn’t solve:
Spending increased 39% from 2020 to 2024 while ad volume decreased 4%. That means each ad placement got more expensive. Digital volume dropped 50% while spend rose 84%, even more dramatic cost inflation.
Rising costs aren’t inherently bad if returns scale accordingly. But for many firms, more dollars are chasing the same finite pool of cases. The question isn’t just “how much should I spend?” but “am I spending in ways that actually differentiate my firm?”
When everyone is buying the same TV spots, running the same Google Ads, and bidding on the same keywords, the only way to win is to outspend, which only the largest firms can sustain.
The alternative: reach the right households before they need a lawyer, so when they do need one, they search for your name specifically. That’s a different game than competing for generic “car accident lawyer” impressions.