It's Friday night at 10:30pm. A family's car was just hit by a drunk driver. Everyone is physically okay, but the car is totaled and there are injuries that need documentation. Someone in that family is going to Google "personal injury lawyer near me" within the hour. They're going to call four firms. The first firm that picks up is going to retain that case.
The Financial Stakes in PI Intake
- Average PI case value (national settlement average): $12,000–$15,000
- Average attorney fee at 33% contingency: $4,000–$5,000
- After-hours PI inquiry rate: 64%
- PI firms responding within 1 hour: 7x more likely to sign vs. next-business-day callback
Modeling One Missed Case Per Week
One missed PI case per week is conservative for a firm actively advertising on Google for personal injury keywords. Across 52 weeks: 52 cases × $4,500 average attorney fee = $234,000/year in fee revenue lost to after-hours voicemail.
“If you're running paid ads and not capturing after-hours calls, you're essentially running your campaigns at 50% efficiency. Every dollar you spend from 5pm to 8am is at risk.”