Your clients would hire you again. New ones just can’t find you yet.
Discovery Marketing helps lawyers, CPAs and advisors get found by people searching for help right now, then turns a confusing search into a booked consultation, without a word your bar or regulator would question.
A 30-minute call, then a free demo website about two hours later. We earn a percentage of ad spend only if you choose to advertise.
AdamEstate planning attorney, Lamplight Law · Archer Heights, ChicagoA composite character. His story shows exactly how we work.
He grew up in his mother’s tax office, one shoebox of receipts at a time.
His mother ran a one-room tax office on Archer Avenue. Every spring, Adam did his homework at the desk by the window while she worked through other families’ shoeboxes of receipts, long after closing.
He also saw what happened when a parent died without a plan: grown kids at that desk, holding deeds and bank statements, not knowing where to start. Then law school, and eight years at a big downtown firm, billing in six-minute increments on trusts for people who already had three advisors. So he came home to the Southwest Side and opened the practice he wished those families had found: Lamplight Law.
He knows estate law inside out. Running a firm is a different job.
Archer Avenue, the late 1990s. Homework at the tax desk after closing.
Plenty of people need a will. Almost none of them have heard of him.
His work is as careful as anything he did downtown. Outside his old colleagues and his mother’s neighbors, almost nobody knows it.
Practice software Your annual renewal is due Friday.
CLE reminder Your reporting deadline is coming up.
AI research tool Your free trial ends in 3 days.
Billable hours, then everything else.
Lawyers capture about three billable hours in an average eight-hour day. The rest disappears into admin, billing and intake. Marketing is the job that never makes the list.
Clio Legal Trends Report (vendor), 2025
Best estate planning lawyer near Midway?
Here are some options nearby:
TV-ad law firm
Online will maker
Big downtown firm
Lamplight Law: not mentioned
The loud names are everywhere.
Injury firms buy billboards and late-night TV. Online legal-form sites sell do-it-yourself wills. Downtown firms have whole marketing departments. When people ask Google or an AI assistant, those are the names they hear.
Referrals have a ceiling.
Former colleagues send a few matters. Happy clients send their siblings. It grows, slowly, and stops at the edge of the people who already know him.
Busy, but not growing.
Evenings go to drafting and returning calls, while consultation slots sit open. When he tried ads himself, the budget was gone by mid-month: legal leads averaged $131.63 each in 2026, the highest of any industry tracked.
He knows estate law. He doesn’t know how clients choose a lawyer. So he keeps waiting for whoever finds him.
Being trusted isn’t the same as being found.
Even a referral gets checked. People search the name, read the reviews and compare the website with whoever else came up. A firm that’s hard to find, hard to understand or slow to answer loses the client before the first consultation.
estate planning attorney near meChicago, IL
1TV-ad law firm
2Online legal forms
3Big downtown firm
74% of legal clients surveyed research a firm online even after a personal recommendation.Scorpion Law Firm Search Trends Report (vendor), 2025
4Lawyer directory
5Referral site
9Lamplight Law5.0 stars · 23 reviews
Illustration. Competitor names are hidden on purpose.
More than half of consumers have used or would consider using AI to answer a legal question. Clio Legal Trends Report (vendor), 2025
72% of legal consumers surveyed won’t wait more than 24 hours for a callback. Scorpion Law Firm Search Trends Report (vendor), 2025
97% of consumers read reviews when choosing a local business, and 41% always do. BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026
Meanwhile, when secret shoppers contacted law firms as prospective clients, only 40% of firms answered the phone and 33% replied to email (Clio Legal Trends Report, vendor, 2024). A firm that simply answers starts ahead. We’ll never promise a map ranking; nobody can buy one.
Then Adam met Andy.
A CPA friend sent him one of Andy’s videos about experts who can’t explain themselves. He booked a call, mostly to prove that marketing and legal ethics don’t mix.
Andy BedellFounder, Discovery Marketing
Andy spent four years marketing executive education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, alongside professors and Nobel laureates. The job was translating world-class expertise into a clear reason to enroll, without compromising the institution’s credibility.
Lawyers need the same balance. Clear enough that a worried family books the consultation. Careful enough that every word would hold up in front of the ARDC, your colleagues and your clients.
Career stats
Where
What happened
UChicago BoothExecutive Education · 4 years
Managed budgets above $20 million a year across Google, LinkedIn and direct mail.
KeySmartJoined 2015
Took daily sales from about $5,000 to $25,000 within a week, then helped the company reach a peak near $35 million a year.
Professionals
Campaigns for medicine, real estate and local services, including helping sell out one of Adelaide’s largest new luxury condo developments (2018).
Career
$200 million+ in managed ad spend.
One short call. A working website two hours later.
Andy asked how Adam explains a trust to a nervous family, never about any client’s matter. Two hours later he had a link to a complete site: every service in plain English, honest answers about fees and timelines, and online booking for consultations.
Before A page he built himself one weekend, and a directory listing with his old firm’s phone number.
2:00:00to your demo
lamplightlaw.example
A plan your family can actually follow.Wills, trusts & probateBook a consultation
WillsLiving trustsPowers of attorneyProbate
Do I need a trust or a will?
What does a plan cost?
How long does it take?
Consultation times
Tue 5:30Wed 12:15Sat 10:00
You’re booked. A secure intake form is waiting in the firm’s client portal.
Fictional firm. Your demo typically arrives about two hours after your call.
Before we write a word, we read what clients already say.
Every claim on his new site came from somewhere real, and none of it reveals a client:
Public reviews. Sorted by what clients praise, and what worried them before they called.
His call with Andy. Thirty minutes on how he works, with no client names or matters.
His practice area and market. What people search for, and which firms they compare him with.
The Illinois rules. What lawyers here can and can’t say: no guarantees, and no “specialist” without the required disclaimer.
He explained the difference between a will and a trust in ten minutes. Nobody had ever managed that.
Plain English
Called me back the same afternoon. Every time.
Responsive
He caught a beneficiary form my old plan had missed.
Thorough
No jargon. I left knowing exactly what I’d signed.
Plain English
Emailed back before I’d finished my coffee.
Responsive
Walked us through every page before we signed.
Thorough
He explained the difference between a will and a trust in ten minutes. Nobody had ever managed that.
Plain English
Called me back the same afternoon. Every time.
Responsive
He caught a beneficiary form my old plan had missed.
Thorough
No jargon. I left knowing exactly what I’d signed.
Plain English
Emailed back before I’d finished my coffee.
Responsive
Walked us through every page before we signed.
Thorough
Composite excerpts written for this illustration, not real reviews.
Three things kept coming up.
Plain English
Clients understood their own plan. He explains trusts the way his mother explained tax forms: slowly, at the kitchen table, until it makes sense.
Responsive
Calls returned the same day, with a clear answer about what happens next and what it costs.
Thorough
Deeds, beneficiary forms and accounts checked, so the plan works when the family needs it.
Now run the plays, by the rules.
A website that explains his work on every page. Then campaigns that reach people searching for help, with every claim checked against the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct before it runs.
Every page makes the same three promises.
A young couple writing their first wills and a daughter settling her father’s estate want different things. Each page shows how plain English, quick answers and careful work help that client.
Plain EnglishWhat a will does, and doesn’t do, on one page you can read in two minutes.
ResponsiveConsultation times you can book online, and a reply within one business day.
ThoroughGuardians, executors and beneficiary forms lined up so nothing contradicts the will.
Plain EnglishWill or trust? A plain answer for your situation, not a sales pitch.
ResponsiveThe fee quoted before you start, and a timeline you can plan around.
ThoroughDeeds and accounts actually moved into the trust, so it works when it’s needed.
Plain EnglishWhat happens after a death, step by step, in words a grieving family can follow.
ResponsiveA real person calls back the same business day, because this never happens at a good time.
ThoroughCourt filings, deadlines and creditor notices tracked, so the family doesn’t have to.
New clients can book without a phone call.
His site is built so AI assistants like ChatGPT can read his services, fees and open consultation times, then finish the booking. The details of anyone’s situation go into the firm’s secure intake, never the chat.
AI assistantExample conversation
We just had a baby and neither of us has a will. Any estate planning lawyers near Midway with evening times?
Lamplight Law in Archer Heights handles wills and guardianship planning, and lists its consultation fee and open times online.
The next evening opening is Tuesday at 5:30 PM with Adam. Want me to book it?Lamplight LawEstate planning consultation · Tue, 5:30 PM5.0 · Archer Heights
Yes, book it.
Done. The firm will email you a secure intake form. Save the details of your situation for that, not this chat.
Meet clients at the search.
Someone typing “will and trust lawyer near me” is choosing a lawyer this month. Google Ads can put his firm at the top of those searches on the Southwest Side, with an ad that answers the search and a page built for it. Pick a search:
Wills & trusts
Probate & family
1 · They search
estate planning attorney chicago
Sponsored · lamplightlaw.exampleEstate Planning in Chicago | Book a Consultation Online
Wills, trusts and powers of attorney, explained in plain English. See open times.
2 · They land on the matching page
Lamplight LawA plan your family can actually follow.Book a consultation
3 · They book
Consultation bookedCase details stay in the firm’s secure intake
Legal search clicks averaged $9.87 in 2026, the highest of any industry in LocaliQ/WordStream’s benchmarks; your market will vary. No ad says “best” or “expert,” or promises an outcome.
Be the answer AI gives.
ChatGPT now accepts ads for legal services in the U.S., but only from lawyers licensed where the ad is shown, and only after review. Andy has early access to ChatGPT ads, so Adam’s firm can appear as a clearly labeled sponsored option when someone asks about wills in Chicago. We still earn the unpaid answer too: clear service pages, structured data and honest reviews.
Legal-services ads are approved case by case under OpenAI’s ad policy, 2026. We never promise a ranking or a mention.
AI assistantIllustration
Do I need a trust or just a will in Illinois? We own a condo and have two kids.
SponsoredLamplight LawEstate planning attorney in Archer Heights. Plain-English consultations on wills and trusts, with the fee quoted up front. Book online.
Ask everyone. Reply like a lawyer.
Every client gets the same review request, whatever we think they’ll say. When a review comes in, the reply never confirms someone is a client or mentions their matter. The ABA says a bad review doesn’t loosen a lawyer’s duty of confidentiality.
ABA Formal Opinion 496, 2021
Took two weeks to get my documents back.
Reply from the owner
Thank you for the feedback. Our duty of confidentiality means we can’t discuss any matter online, but we take turnaround times seriously. Please call our office so we can talk directly.
Illustration of a calm, professional reply.
Most clients don’t book on the first visit. Follow up the right way.
Lawyers can’t cold-call or message someone who needs help, and some matters, like a divorce or an estate after a death, can’t be followed with remarketing lists at all. So instead of chasing, we show up: neighborhood video, reviews, clear answers and a site that’s easy to book.
Five days. Zero cold calls.
MondayGoogle
Searches “will and trust lawyer near me.” Reads the will-or-trust guide. Doesn’t book yet.
WednesdayYouTube
Sees Adam’s 60-second “Will or trust?” explainer, shown to adults in the neighborhood.
ThursdayGoogle reviews
Reads what clients say, and how the firm replies without confirming who’s a client.
FridayChatGPT
Asks whether a condo in Illinois needs a trust. Sees Lamplight’s labeled sponsored option beside the answer.
SaturdayLamplight’s site
Books a consultation online.
Illinois Rule 7.3 bars live, real-time solicitation for profit. Google treats divorce and bereavement services as relationship hardships, so their ads can’t use remarketing lists or customer-match audiences.Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.3; Google Ads personalized advertising policy, 2026
Then the calendar started filling.
Consultations booked / month, before7
Consultations booked / month, after31
Illustrative figures from Adam’s composite story. Not a typical or guaranteed result. Your numbers depend on your practice area, market, fees and capacity.
The phone got quieter because booking moved online. Consultations started with clients who already understood the basics. And for the first time, he could see which searches and pages brought in new clients.
Then we made the videos clients actually watch.
No client testimonials that hint at results. Just Adam, explaining things plainly: will or trust, when an online form is enough, and who answers the phone. Education builds trust, and it stays well inside the rules.
ExplainerWill or trust? The two-minute versionStraight talkWhen an online will is enough, and when it isn’tWarmthMeet the people who answer the phone
Concept frames from Adam’s composite story.
From one desk to a booked calendar.
Year 1 Open slots, late nights.
A few consultations a week. Evenings go to drafting, billing and returning calls.
Year 2 A paralegal, and systems that run themselves.
Online booking, reminders, secure intake and a clean handoff into his practice-management software. A paralegal joins, and the phone quiets down.
Year 3 An associate, and a calendar weeks ahead.
Consultations book out weeks in advance, so Adam hires an associate instead of working later.
Year 5 A second office, and a waitlist.
Organized, visible and growing. His mother and sister still stop by with pączki for the front desk.
The kid who did homework in his mother’s tax office now runs an organized, growing firm, on his terms.
His one regret: he waited two years for referrals to be enough.
Got an idea? We test it before we bet on it.
Adam wanted his homepage to open with a 60-second video of him explaining wills and trusts, instead of a photo of the skyline. Andy liked it, but the page was already booking consultations. So they ran a trial: half of visitors saw the current page, half saw his.
96% of people surveyed have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.Wyzowl State of Video Marketing (vendor), 2026
A The skyline photo
Visitors
1,000
Consultations
100
Per 100
10.0
+20%
B His idea: a 60-second explainer
Visitors
1,000
Consultations
120
Per 100
12.0
Winner: B. 12 consultations per 100 visitors instead of 10. That’s 20% more booked consultations from the same budget.
Illustrative test from Adam’s story. We call a winner when the difference holds up statistically, not when one page is ahead for a day.
What clients need changes with the calendar.
Wills don’t have a season, but the moments that send people looking for a lawyer, an accountant or an advisor do. So the campaigns and pages rotate with them, and the budget follows your open consultation times.
Jan–Apr
Tax season
The IRS opened the 2026 filing season on January 26, and most returns were due April 15. CPAs book up early, and families already looking at their finances are ready to talk about a plan.
Summer
Weddings, babies, first homes
Wedding and moving season is when couples realize they need wills and a guardian for the kids. Pages and videos for new families move to the front.
October
Plan-review month
The U.S. House backed the third week of October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week in 2008, and Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7 for insurance agents. Campaigns lead with plan reviews.
Nov–Dec
Year-end planning
Annual gifts count toward the year only if they’re made by December 31, up to $19,000 per recipient in 2026. Advisors and CPAs push year-end reviews, and estate planners book them.
Sources: IRS 2026 filing season announcement; U.S. House Resolution 1499, 2008; Medicare.gov open enrollment dates, 2026; IRS 2026 inflation adjustments, 2025.
It’s ongoing counsel, not a one-time filing.
You don’t draft a plan and never look at it again. Marketing works the same way. Ads wear out, rules and platform policies change, competitors copy what works, and new AI tools arrive every month. We check on it every day, so you can focus on clients.
What we watch, every day
Budgets and bids, matched to your open consultation times.
Broken forms, booking links and tracking. If something breaks, ads pause until it’s fixed.
Ad policy and rule changes for legal and financial advertisers.
Fresh, plain-English creative before the old videos stop working.
What the TV-ad firms, online form sites and nearby practices are doing.
It starts with a 30-minute call.
From “book a call” to campaigns that run while you’re with clients.
1 minute
Book a call
Pick a 30-minute slot on Andy’s calendar. No forms, no pitch deck.
Behind the scenes
We gather your footprint
Your current site, your public reviews, your directory listings and what people say about your firm online.
30 minutes
Your call with Andy
Talk about how you work and who you help. Keep examples anonymous; we never need client names or matters.
About 2 hours
Your demo website
Services, fees, plain-English answers and online booking, written in your voice.
Before launch
Every claim checked
We review each line with you, swap AI images for real photos, and check it against your state’s rules or your regulator’s.
Free
Discovery Platform
Request edits with our AI, approve drafts, or send our team a ticket.
Kickoff
A Google Ads test
Your area, the searches new clients use, and pages that answer them. Start with $50 a day for ten days, paid straight to Google.
Always
Measure, carefully
Leads flow into your CRM or practice-management software. Tracking never captures what someone writes about their case.
We charge 20% of the ad spend we run to start, and the percentage goes down as you grow. No setup fee, no retainer, no contract. The website is built and hosted free. Everything below is included, so all you have to do is practice.
Starting outGrowingScalingMulti-site
We start at 20% of the ad spend we run, and the percentage steps down as your monthly spend grows.
Included in the percentage
Video production
Landing pages
Copywriting checked against your profession’s advertising rules
Review and reputation guidance
Google keyword research
Daily budget management
Privacy-conscious tracking setup
Fresh creative before ads wear out
Ongoing A/B testing
Seasonal planning
Website hosting
Just want the website? That’s fine. We’ll still build it and host it for free.
Happy with the website you have? Keep it. If it’s tied to your practice-management software or client portal, we’ll add the pieces that bring in clients, like practice-area pages and ad landing pages, and run your campaigns around it.
Nothing goes out that your bar, your regulator or your clients would question.
Lawyers, advisors and accountants have more advertising rules than most, and we treat them as the brief, not the fine print. Every claim is backed by something real, approved by you, and checked before it runs.
No false or misleading claims: no guarantees, no “best,” and no past results that imply yours will match, under Rule 7.1 of the ABA Model Rules and the Illinois Rules.
Every ad names a responsible lawyer or firm and its office address, as Illinois Rule 7.2 requires, and “specialist” or “expert” appear only as Illinois Rule 7.4 allows.
No live solicitation under Rule 7.3, and no review reply that confirms someone is a client, per Rule 1.6 and ABA Formal Opinion 496.
Advisers use testimonials only with the disclosures and oversight the SEC Marketing Rule requires; brokers follow FINRA Rule 2210; CPAs follow the AICPA’s advertising rule.
No fake, paid or filtered reviews, as the FTC’s 2024 rule requires, and financial ads on Meta run in its special ad category, with no targeting by age, gender or ZIP code.
Adam and Lamplight Law are composites, and this page tells you so. We are not your ethics counsel; you and your compliance team have the final word.
Estate planning is just the start.
Family law, immigration and small-business law. CPAs and tax preparers, financial advisors, insurance agents and consultants. Different clients, different rules, same playbook: find what makes your work better, explain it plainly, and put it in front of the people looking for you.
Book your call with Andy.
Thirty minutes on how you work and who you help. We gather your footprint before the call, and your demo website typically arrives about two hours after it.
