Practice area
Marketing for Bankruptcy Law Firms
SEO, Google Ads and websites for firms that handle personal bankruptcy, corporate insolvency and restructuring. We write for the debtor searching late at night and for the lender choosing counsel, and we keep consumer ads inside the disclosure rules.
Book a strategy callWhy bankruptcy firms need a different approach
Someone searching for bankruptcy help has often put it off as long as they could, and may be reading on a phone they would rather nobody else saw. On the business side, the buyer is a finance director, a lender or an insolvency practitioner picking counsel for a matter with a deadline. One firm can serve both, but they need separate pages, keywords and routes into intake.
-
Privacy before the first call
Debtors worry about employers, family and creditors finding out. Pages that say plainly what stays confidential, and a form that asks only for a name and a way to reply, remove one reason to leave.
-
Searches by chapter
US debtors search for Chapter 7, Chapter 13, the means test and whether they can keep the car. Each of those questions needs its own answer page, written for the district where you file.
-
A statutory ad disclosure
US consumer-bankruptcy advertising has to carry the debt relief agency statement set out in section 528 of the Bankruptcy Code. Bar rules on solicitation apply on top of it, and in India Rule 36 limits advocates further.
-
Two buyers, one practice
Restructuring work comes through lenders, creditors' committees and insolvency professionals who read case commentary. Consumer work comes from search and maps, so we plan the two separately.
What costs bankruptcy firms enquiries
Five problems we see on bankruptcy and insolvency firms' sites and ad accounts, and what we do about each one.
- Problem
Debt settlement firms crowd the ads
How we fix itWe bid on chapter and city searches where the person wants a lawyer, and exclude terms that attract people shopping for settlement plans.
- Problem
Ads without the section 528 statement
How we fix itWe build the debt relief agency disclosure into ad copy, landing pages and follow-up emails before anything goes live.
- Problem
Debtors too anxious to phone
How we fix itWe add quieter ways to get in touch, such as a callback request or a short form, and state on the page who will see the details.
- Problem
Chapter 11 pages written for consumers
How we fix itWe give business restructuring its own section, written for finance directors, lenders and trustees, with a direct route to a partner.
- Problem
One campaign run across four countries
How we fix itWe adapt each market to its own rules, such as Rule 36 in India and the role of licensed insolvency trustees in Canada.
Why bankruptcy firms work with us
Our LMA team markets law firms in the US, Canada, the UAE and India, and writes to the advertising rules of each market.
-
The section 528 disclosure goes into every consumer ad and landing page we write
-
Separate plans and reports for consumer bankruptcy and restructuring
-
Offices in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru for firms practising before the NCLT
-
Calls and forms traced to source, reported as retained matters
Tell us which chapters, courts or tribunals you work in, and we will plan around the work you want more of.
How we run bankruptcy marketing
We work in four stages, with a compliance check before anything goes live and again whenever the copy changes.
-
Audit and rules check We review your site, Google Business Profile and ad accounts, then list every page and ad that needs a debt relief agency statement or a change to meet bar rules.
-
Split the practice We map consumer bankruptcy and business insolvency to separate keywords, pages and intake paths, so a debtor and a lender each land on a page written for them.
-
Build and launch We write chapter and question pages for the courts you file in, set up campaigns on searches that name bankruptcy or a lawyer, and connect calls and forms to your intake.
-
Report on retained matters We track calls, consultations and retained matters by page and campaign, then move budget towards the searches that turn into filings.
Frequently asked questions
Do our Google Ads need the debt relief agency statement?
If you advertise help with consumer debts to the general public in the US, very likely yes. Section 528 of the Bankruptcy Code requires the statement "We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code", or one substantially similar, and the Supreme Court held in Milavetz v. United States (2010) that attorneys can be debt relief agencies. Short ad formats make the wording hard to fit, so we plan where it appears across the ad and the landing page, and your own counsel should approve the approach.
Should we target Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 separately?
Yes. Chapter 7 searches tend to ask whether the person qualifies and how quickly it ends, while Chapter 13 searches lean towards keeping a house or car and what the repayment plan involves. Separate pages and ad groups let each answer match its question, and show you which chapter your spend is producing.
How do we compete with debt settlement companies on paid search?
Mostly by avoiding the searches they dominate. Broad terms such as "debt relief" draw people comparing settlement plans, and you pay for every one of those clicks. We put budget on searches that name bankruptcy, a chapter or a lawyer, exclude settlement terms, and send clicks to pages that explain what a court filing does that a settlement plan cannot.
Can we market restructuring work to lenders and creditors online?
Yes, through different channels. Finance directors, lenders and insolvency practitioners find counsel through directory rankings, LinkedIn and commentary on live cases more than through local search. We build a restructuring section with pages by matter type, and publish commentary on filings and rulings that your partners are willing to put their names to.
We practise before the NCLT in India. What marketing is allowed?
Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules bars advocates from soliciting work or advertising. Since the 2008 amendment, a website may carry factual details such as names, contact information, qualifications and areas of practice, with a disclaimer declaring the information true. We build IBC practice sites within those limits, explaining processes such as creditor applications and resolution plans, and leave out ads, testimonials and outcome claims.
In Canada, debtors go to a licensed insolvency trustee. Where does a law firm fit?
Only licensed insolvency trustees can administer bankruptcies and consumer proposals in Canada, so many debtors search for a trustee first. Law firms win the work around those proceedings, such as opposed discharges, creditor claims, CCAA restructurings and related litigation. We write pages for those searches and say clearly what the firm does alongside a trustee.
Our clients don't want to leave public reviews. How do we build a reputation?
Many bankruptcy clients would rather nobody knew they filed, so ask after discharge, when the case is behind them, and accept that some will decline. Never offer anything in return for a review, since rules against paying for recommendations, such as ABA Model Rule 7.2(b), can apply. Directory profiles, published commentary and referrals from trustees and other lawyers carry more of the weight here than in most practice areas.