Tuesday, June 24, 2025 (LOS ANGELES) — The results are in. Hennessey Digital, a premier digital marketing agency renowned for its understanding of the Google algorithm and expertise in the legal sector, has released its fifth annual Lead Form Response Time Study, a data-driven benchmark analyzing how fast law firms respond to online leads, and reporting which cities are leading – or lagging.
Titled “The Race to Respond: A 5-Year Benchmark of Law Firm Response Times to Online Leads,” the 2025 study is the most comprehensive of its kind, drawing from 150,000 data points across more than 1,300 law firm websites nationwide.
Key findings show a major shift in responsiveness since 2021:
- 74% of personal injury law firms respond to online leads within 7 days, up from 59% in 2021.
- 25% now reply in under 5 minutes, nearly doubling from just 13% in 2021.
- Despite progress, 26% of firms still fail to respond at all to online leads, a significant missed opportunity.
- While email remains popular when responding to people in the community seeking legal counsel, phone calls and text messaging are at an all-time high as methods of communication.
“Technology’s come a long way, it’s never been easier for people to connect with a business or get a fast response. But even with everything AI can do today, the data still points to one clear truth: in the legal space, personalization and real human connection still matter most,” said Jason Hennessey, Founder & CEO of Hennessey Digital. Hennessey is an internationally-recognized business leader, 5x Inc. 5000 CEO, and best-selling author of the books, Law Firm SEO and Honest SEO.
Hennessey Digital’s 2025 Lead Form Response Time report highlights:
- Outreach All-Stars – A list of the 423 fastest-responding law firms in the U.S. who respond to online leads in under 10 minutes
- National and local response time benchmarks
- The top 10 fastest (and slowest) responding cities
- Website and lead form response trends
- Costly mistakes firms can easily avoid
Also notable from 2025 data is the growing impact of automation, AI, and personalization in lead conversion, and how law firms can adjust their strategies to stay visible as search and online behavior evolve.
“We first embarked on this study in 2021 after taking a close look at why a client’s positive digital marketing performance and new business growth weren’t matching up. The gap in responding to online leads that analysis exposed for that law firm led us to taking an industry-wide look that has resulted in our much sought-after annual benchmark and annual Outreach All-Star awards for the legal industry,” said Cindy Kerber Spellman, Hennessey Digital’s Senior Director of Marketing. “This study gives law firms the data they need to optimize their intake, improve client conversion, boost their marketing ROI, and serve more people in their community.”
Access the full study and list of Outreach All-Stars at hennessey.com.
About Hennessey Digital
Hennessey Digital was founded in 2015 by internationally-recognized SEO expert and best-selling author Jason Hennessey. It is a multi-award-winning digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, content marketing, paid media, pay-per-click advertising (PPC), website development, and conversion rate optimization (CRO). The company partners with top law firms and various industries to deliver holistic marketing strategies that drive qualified leads and high-value cases. Hennessey Digital is a 5x Inc. 5000 company on Inc.’s list of fastest-growing private companies in America, an Inc. Best Workplaces honoree, and a Fortune Best Workplaces company in Advertising & Marketing. In 2025, the agency was acquired by Herringbone Digital, joining a collective of visionary founders and industry-leading digital marketing agencies and technology solutions specializing in local services. Discover more at hennessey.com.
