There's been somewhat of a "movement" in marketing to call out the limitations of certain attribution models. The issues aren't really "new" so to speak. It's just that more and more folks are realizing the significant limitations of certain attribution models. You have to experience the pain, to truly understand the issue.

Digital marketers have been training business leaders that attribution solves The Wanamaker riddle.

And to some extent, they are right.

Unfortunately, because they have relied primarily on the last-touch attribution model, they have, perhaps unwittingly, led them down an increasingly expensive and inefficient path.

In two separate conversations with law firm marketing leaders, there has been this sentiment that:

"We can't REALLY track where clients are coming from."

In fact, in at least one of these conversations, it was implied that they learned this fact by listening to Lunch Hour Legal Marketing. Conrad and I recently recorded an episode to clarify our views. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are some thoughts about last-click attribution and our way out of this mess.

The Problem with Last-Click Attribution in Law Firm Marketing

Attribution in marketing is like assigning credit—it matters who gets recognized for influencing the outcome (but even this mindset is problematic, more on this later).

When it comes to law firm marketing, last-click attribution often misleads lawyers into making uninformed decisions about which marketing channels are actually working.

Last-click attribution gives 100% of the credit for a conversion (like a signed client) to the last touchpoint before conversion. In reality, legal consumers don’t make decisions that simply. Their journey is complex, often spanning multiple touchpoints over weeks or months. By relying solely on last-click attribution, law firms risk undervaluing crucial parts of their marketing funnel and misallocating their budgets.

Why Last-Click Attribution is Misleading

Let’s break it down with some common client journeys that demonstrate how last-touch attribution can paint an incomplete picture.

SEO-PPC Disconnect

Sarah is researching divorce attorneys in her area. She starts by searching “best divorce attorney near me” and clicks on a blog post about “What to Expect in a Divorce Consultation” on Lisa's legal blog. She reads it and finds it helpful but isn’t ready to contact anyone yet. A week later, she searches for “Lisa's Legal Blog” and clicks on Lisa's branded Google ad, where she finally fills out a contact form.

Under last-click attribution, the PPC ad gets all the credit. The SEO-driven blog post—the initial touchpoint that built trust and provided valuable information—gets ignored. If a law firm sees only the PPC data, they might mistakenly believe their blog isn’t driving results and cut back on content marketing, weakening their organic presence in the long run.

Social Media Brand Lift

Mark is scrolling through Facebook when he sees Larry's video explaining common mistakes accident victims make. He watches it, but he’s not currently in need of a lawyer. A few weeks later, he gets into a car accident. He Googles Larry’s name directly and calls him.

Since last-click attribution only credits the direct visit, it ignores the role of the social media video in building brand awareness. A law firm looking only at last-click data might conclude that social media marketing isn’t effective and cut it from their budget, despite it playing a key role in client acquisition.

Referral-Driven Search

Tom’s friend recommends a law firm after he’s charged with a DUI. Tom doesn’t remember the name, so he searches “best DUI attorney in Detroit.” He sees the familiar name, clicks on a local search result, reads some reviews, and calls the firm.

Last-click attribution would attribute this conversion to Google’s local search, completely missing the fact that the true driver was the word-of-mouth referral. A law firm relying solely on last-click might mistakenly over-invest in local SEO while ignoring client experience strategies that encourage referrals.

What Law Firms Should Do Instead

Relying on last-click attribution can lead law firms to over-invest in certain channels while underfunding those that contribute to the client journey in meaningful ways. Instead, law firms should consider:

Multi-Touch Attribution: Use a model that distributes credit across all touchpoints to understand the full journey.

First-Click Attribution Analysis: Look at what initially brought potential clients into your ecosystem.

Data from Call Tracking & CRM Systems: Integrate call tracking and client relationship management (CRM) software to see how multiple interactions contribute to conversions.

Qualitative Attribution Data: Ask potential clients how they heard about you. Make this a consistent part of your intake process. Leave the question open-ended.

Brand Search Data: Review organic and paid search data that includes branded queries (i.e. lawyer name, firm name, trade name).

Final Thoughts

Don't fall victim to last-click myopia. Focus on building visibility, trust, and credibility over time.

But also, don't conclude that attribution is impossible. It's not.

Implement data infrastructure and attribution models that capture a more holistic view of a client's journey. Last-click attribution oversimplifies how clients find and choose lawyers, leading firms to make misguided budget decisions. By adopting a more holistic approach to attribution, law firms can invest wisely in the channels that truly contribute to growth, ensuring they’re reaching and converting clients effectively.

Ultimately, attribution should be used to inform strategy, not merely to decide "who gets credit." This adversarial mindset only serves to limit growth. We're not trying to figure out who to high-five; we're trying to figure out how to most effectively grow the firm. Let's all row in the same direction.