Marketing for wills and estates, corporate, tax and IP lawyers

Solicitor practices grow differently from litigation practices. Clients for wills, estates, corporate, tax and intellectual property work are rarely in crisis. They research, compare, ask their accountant or advisor and come back months later. Search demand is smaller than for family or injury law, but each client is often worth years of repeat work: a will leads to powers of attorney, an estate administration, a family trust or a business succession plan; an incorporation leads to annual records, shareholder agreements and a sale.

This guide covers how these practices build visibility, trust and referrals in Canada: search demand by practice area, the pages and offers that work, local search, content, referral networks with accountants and advisors, paid search, client retention, the rules that apply and how to measure results.

Search demand by practice area

Two patterns stand out. Wills and estates searches are relatively affordable to advertise on, which makes paid search a practical way to fill a fixed-fee wills calendar. Corporate, tax and IP searches cost more per click and are fewer in number, because many of those clients arrive through referrals instead. Your plan should reflect where each practice’s clients actually come from.

Wills and estates: three journeys

Wills and estates work covers three groups of clients:

• Planning clients want a will, powers of attorney or a trust. Life events prompt them: a new child, marriage, separation, a home purchase, a diagnosis in the family or retirement.
• Executors and families have lost someone and need help with probate and estate administration. They are often overwhelmed and want calm, practical guidance.
• Estate litigation clients are in a dispute: a contested will, a dependant support claim or a conflict with an executor.

Give each group its own pages. Planning pages explain the process and fees. Administration pages explain the executor’s role and the probate steps in your province, using the right terms (for example, Ontario uses estate trustee and estate administration tax). Litigation pages explain whether the firm acts in contested matters and how to start.

Fixed-fee wills

Fixed fees for wills and powers of attorney convert well. Show what the package includes, what costs extra (for example, complex trusts or multiple wills planning), whether disbursements and taxes are included and how long the process takes. Under law society rules, advertised fees must be reasonably precise about the services covered and must be honoured.

Making the first step easy

Online booking for an initial call, a short questionnaire covering family, assets and goals, and clear guidance on what to bring all improve conversion. Offer home or hospital visits only if you can provide them, and say clearly how signing and witnessing work in your province.

Corporate and commercial practices

Business owners rarely search “corporate lawyer” once and hire. They look for a firm that understands their stage and industry. Build pages around their decisions:

• Incorporation and organizing a new business.
• Shareholder and partnership agreements.
• Buying or selling a business.
• Commercial contracts and leases.
• Financing and investment rounds for growing companies.
• Annual corporate records and minute book maintenance.

Packages for common work, such as incorporation with initial organization or an annual records subscription, make it easy to start and create recurring revenue. Content written for business owners, such as what to include in a shareholder agreement or how to prepare a business for sale, builds authority and earns referrals from accountants who share it with their clients.

Tax law practices

Tax lawyers usually serve three audiences: individuals and businesses in a dispute with the Canada Revenue Agency, people with unreported income or compliance problems, and businesses planning transactions or reorganizations. Each needs its own page and tone. Dispute pages explain the steps after a reassessment, the time limits for objections and how the firm helps. Planning pages speak to business owners and their accountants. Clear, calm content works best, because many tax clients are worried about penalties and privacy.

Intellectual property practices

IP clients range from start-ups registering a first trademark to established companies protecting a portfolio. Useful pages explain trademark searches and registration in Canada, what a trademark agent or lawyer does, copyright basics, patents and how the firm works with clients outside Canada. Many IP enquiries come from founders, designers and marketing agencies, so content that answers practical questions, such as whether a business name is available as a trademark, earns links and referrals.

Local search and your Google Business Profile

Wills and estates searches are strongly local, and many corporate clients prefer a lawyer nearby too.

1. Use your real firm name and accurate categories, with one profile per real office.
2. List services by practice area and add photos of your team and office, including accessibility details for older clients.
3. Keep details consistent across law society directories, legal directories and business listings.
4. Ask clients for reviews when a matter is complete, never offer anything in return, and never confirm client details in replies.

Referral networks: the solicitor’s biggest channel

Accountants, financial advisors, insurance advisors, bankers and funeral homes recommend solicitors constantly. A referral program built on value keeps those recommendations coming:

• A professionals page explaining what you do, how to refer and who to contact.
• Short education sessions for accounting and advisory firms on topics such as estate planning for business owners or probate tax planning.
• Co-written articles that partners can share with their clients.
• Fast acknowledgement and reporting back on every referral, with the client’s permission.

Referral fees may only pass between licensees within your society’s limits, never to accountants, advisors or other non-licensees, so these relationships are built on service and shared expertise.

Paid search

Paid search works well for wills, estate administration and estate litigation, where clients need help soon or are comparing fixed fees. Run campaigns by service, exclude searches for free will templates, obituaries and government forms, and track bookings. For corporate, tax and IP work, focus paid search on specific needs, such as incorporating a business or responding to a CRA reassessment, rather than broad terms. See Google Ads for lawyers and the cost per click by practice area.

Content that builds authority

Have a lawyer review every article, date it and keep it current when laws or government processes change.

Client retention and cross-practice growth

Solicitor clients come back if you stay in touch. With consent under Canada’s anti-spam law, a short newsletter, reminders to review wills after life events and updates on changes that affect business owners keep your firm in mind. Introduce related services naturally: a corporate client may need estate planning, and an estate client may need a real estate transfer. A CRM makes this reliable. See choosing a CRM for small business in Canada.

Rules that apply

• Marketing must be true, accurate and verifiable and must not mislead.
• Advertised fees must be reasonably precise about what is included and whether disbursements and taxes are extra, and must be honoured.
• Only lawyers certified by their law society may use specialist titles.
• Avoid unverifiable superiority claims and pressure tactics around illness or death.
• Referral fees only between licensees, within your society’s limits.

Read lawyer advertising rules in Canada for more detail.

Measuring the program

Estate administration: supporting executors well

Executors are often grieving, unfamiliar with the process and worried about making mistakes. Marketing to them should feel like help, not selling. A strong estate administration section includes:

• A step by step overview of the executor’s role, from locating the will to final distribution.
• A plain explanation of when probate is needed and how to apply in your province.
• Information about estate administration tax or probate fees where they apply.
• Guidance on common issues, such as dealing with banks, real estate and debts.
• A clear description of how your firm can help, from full administration to limited advice.

Offer a short initial call for executors, and make sure your team responds with patience. Many executors are referred by funeral homes, financial advisors and family members, so a reputation for kindness spreads quickly.

Packages and pricing for solicitor work

Solicitor clients appreciate clarity. Packages make it easier to start and easier to compare:

Whenever you advertise a package fee, state what is included, what costs extra and whether disbursements and taxes are included, and honour it.

Website essentials for solicitor practices

• Clear paths for individuals, families and business owners.
• Online booking for initial calls, with short pre-meeting questionnaires.
• Secure document upload for wills, corporate records and tax notices.
• Accessibility for older clients: larger text, high contrast and simple navigation.
• Lawyer profiles that show the practice areas each lawyer handles, year of call and languages.
• Fast loading on mobile and desktop.

Working with accountants: a practical approach

Accountants are often the most valuable referral source for estate, corporate and tax work, because they see their clients’ finances and life changes first. To earn their trust:

1. Identify a short list of accounting firms whose clients match yours.
2. Offer a useful briefing on a topic their clients ask about, such as probate planning or shareholder agreements.
3. Agree on how you will communicate when you share a client, always with the client’s consent.
4. Report back promptly on referrals, and refer work to them in return where appropriate.
5. Keep in touch with occasional updates on legal changes that affect their clients.

A worked example

Consider a three-lawyer solicitor firm offering wills, estates and small business corporate work. Its website lists services but explains little, and most work comes from long-standing clients. In the first month it publishes fixed-fee will packages, separates its planning and estate administration pages and sets up online booking. In the second month it runs search campaigns for wills and probate in its area and offers briefings to two accounting firms. In the third month it publishes articles on choosing an executor and shareholder agreements, and starts a consent-based newsletter for past clients. By the end of the quarter the firm can see which channels bring planning clients, executors and business owners, and how many new matters came from each accountant relationship. Every firm is different, but the method works across solicitor practices.

A 90 day plan

1. Days 1 to 30: separate planning, administration and litigation pages, publish fixed-fee will packages, tidy your Google Business Profile and set up tracking.
2. Days 31 to 60: launch wills and probate campaigns, create a professionals page and book two education sessions with accounting firms.
3. Days 61 to 90: publish three authority articles, start a consent-based newsletter and review enquiries by source.

Want help growing a solicitor practice? See our estate lawyer SEO service and wider law firm marketing services, or read the law firm marketing playbook.