Calling and texting purchased leads is routine for personal-injury firms, and so are the compliance questions that come with it. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and similar state laws regulate automated calls and texts, and the consequences of getting it wrong can be expensive.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your own counsel about how these rules apply to your firm and your state.

Why it matters when you buy leads

When you buy a lead, you rely on someone else's consent process. If the vendor's form didn't capture valid consent, or can't prove it did, your firm may be the one that receives the complaint. "The vendor said it was fine" is not a strong position to be in.

That's why it's worth asking hard questions before you buy, and keeping records after.

Checklist: questions to ask any lead vendor

  • Does every lead include the exact consent language the claimant agreed to?
  • Does that language name your firm, or clearly cover the firm that will contact them?
  • Was consent given through a clear action, such as a checkbox or button, and not buried in fine print?
  • Does the form state that consent is not a condition of purchase or service?

Records

  • Will you receive a timestamp, IP address and source page URL for each lead?
  • Can the vendor provide a session recording or screenshot of the form as the claimant saw it?
  • How long does the vendor keep these records, and how quickly can you get them if asked?

Lead handling

  • Is each lead sold to one firm only? Consent that names a long list of firms is harder to rely on.
  • How old can a lead be before it's delivered? Consent given weeks ago is weaker than consent given seconds ago.
  • Are phone numbers checked against do-not-call lists and for reassignment?

Checklist: inside your own firm

Good vendor practices only go so far. Your intake process matters too.

  1. Store the consent record with the lead in your CRM, not just in the vendor's portal.
  2. Honor opt-outs immediately. If someone replies STOP or asks not to be contacted, make sure every channel respects it.
  3. Keep texts identifiable. Say who you are and why you're reaching out.
  4. Respect calling hours in the claimant's time zone.
  5. Train your team on what to say when someone asks how you got their number.
  6. Review your setup with counsel at least once a year, and whenever you add a new vendor or channel.

How we handle it

Every lead we deliver carries its consent language, timestamp and source page, and every lead is sold to a single firm. If you want to see a sample consent record before you buy, ask us. You can also read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for the details of how we collect information.