Understanding who spends what in your market is essential for realistic strategy. You’re not competing against an abstract “legal advertising category.” You’re competing against specific firms like Morgan and Morgan and their $218M broadcast strategy. Here’s who’s at the top.
The National Leaders
Morgan & Morgan
The numbers are staggering:
- $218,208,800 in estimated 2024 advertising spend
- 2,470,854 ad units. more than 9% of all legal ads in the country
- $110.7 million on spot TV alone
- 1.5+ million TV spots in a single year
- Outspends the next firm (Thomas J. Henry Law at $21.4M) by more than 5-to-1 on television
When someone says “you can’t outspend Morgan and Morgan,” this is what they mean. Nine-figure annual ad budgets aren’t something you compete with on spend. You compete differently.
Other Top National Advertisers
| Advertiser | Estimated 2024 Spend |
|---|---|
| Morgan and Morgan | $218.2M |
| LegalZoom | $59.7M |
| Thomas J. Henry Law | ~$21.4M (TV) |
| Los Defensores | Under $50M |
| Sweet James | Under $50M |
| Morris Bart | Under $50M |
| Sam Bernstein | Under $50M |
The concentration is significant: Morgan and Morgan alone captures 8% of all legal ad spending. But thousands of firms compete for the remaining 92%.
Market-Level Dynamics
Example: Los Angeles
Los Angeles illustrates what “competitive” really means:
- $164 million in legal services ad spending in 2024
- 725,000+ ads in a single DMA
- Multiple national and regional PI brands competing
- Extremely high costs for incremental share of voice
In markets like LA, the marginal cost to gain meaningful share is extraordinary. This is why some firms find better ROI in underserved secondary DMAs.
The One-or-Two Rule
In most DMAs, one or two PI brands dominate share of voice:
- In Florida: Morgan and Morgan’s presence is overwhelming
- In Texas: Thomas J. Henry, Jim Adler command significant share
- In California: Sweet James, The Barnes Firm, and others compete intensely
- In the Midwest: Regional powerhouses like Sam Bernstein dominate local markets
Smaller firms face a choice: try to out-shout the dominant players (expensive and often futile) or compete on different dimensions entirely.
How to Find Your Market’s Top Advertisers
Several data sources provide market-level advertising intelligence:
AdImpact. Real-time TV and digital ad tracking, including spend estimates by market and advertiser. Commonly used by political campaigns and now expanding in legal.
Kantar/Vivvix. Comprehensive cross-channel spend tracking with creative examples. The industry standard for competitive analysis.
Nielsen Ad Intel. TV-focused measurement with detailed market and daypart data.
ATRA Reports. Annual macro reports on legal advertising trends, including OOH heat maps and top market data.
These tools aren’t cheap, but they reveal exactly who’s spending what in your DMA, and often what creative they’re running.
How Smaller Firms Compete
You’re not going to outspend Morgan and Morgan. So what actually works?
Competing Against Big Advertisers
Geographic Focus
Instead of spreading budget thin across a large DMA, concentrate on specific counties, cities, or neighborhoods. Own a smaller area completely rather than being invisible across a larger one.
Niche Practice Focus
“Car accident lawyer” is the most competitive. “Truck accident attorney” is slightly less so. “Oilfield injury lawyer” in drilling regions might have minimal competition. Specialization reduces the competitive set.
Performance Digital
Search, LSAs, and targeted social can work with smaller budgets than TV. The caveat: digital costs are rising rapidly, and efficiency requires expertise.
Creative Differentiation
When you can’t outspend, stand out creatively. Most PI ads look identical, same courthouse backgrounds, same “we fight for you” messaging. Different creative breaks through at lower frequency.
Build Recognition Before Need
The most powerful advantage: when someone has an accident, they search for YOUR firm name specifically. Reach the right households before they need a lawyer through CTV and targeted awareness campaigns.
The Real Competition
Here’s what the data reveals: you’re probably not competing with Morgan and Morgan, even if they advertise in your market.
You’re competing with the 2-3 other firms in your DMA who are:
- Targeting similar case types
- Reaching similar geographic areas
- Appearing in similar channels
- Speaking to similar demographics
Understanding those specific competitors. Their spend, their creative, their media mix, is more actionable than worrying about nine-figure national budgets.