Why two mass tort lead quotes can be different products
The price depends on what is being delivered. A raw inquiry leaves outreach and screening with your team. A qualified lead adds a defined first pass. A call includes a specified connection event. A retainer program includes firm-approved signed documents under its own scope. Comparing these as interchangeable units hides the work being purchased.
Ask how the tort, eligibility screen, geography, source restrictions, exclusivity, delivery hours and required evidence affect the quote. Broader and narrower briefs can involve different sourcing and processing demands. No universal price range can tell you whether an unspecified program is a good buy.
Keep the denominator visible
Define net acquisition spend as the invoiced acquisition amount less agreed credits for the measured cohort. Then divide by the outcome you want to evaluate. A team can report a strong contact rate and still have a poor signing rate; the labels should make that visible.
Use one delivery cohort and a consistent review window. Mixing this month’s spend with retainers from an older campaign gives a misleading comparison. Mark a cohort as still developing when outreach, records or acceptance review remains open.
| Metric | Calculation | What it helps you evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per delivered lead or call | Net spend ÷ billable deliveries | The purchase price after credits |
| Cost per contacted prospect | Net spend ÷ contacted prospects | Whether the firm reaches the delivered opportunities |
| Cost per signed retainer | Net spend ÷ signed retainers | The cost of reaching the signing stage |
| Cost per accepted case | Net spend ÷ firm-accepted cases | Acquisition spend behind the accepted cohort |
A higher unit price can still produce a lower acquisition cost
Consider two hypothetical programs with 100 deliveries each. Program A costs $150 per delivery and produces 15 retainers, of which 12 are accepted. Program B costs $250 per delivery and produces 30 retainers, of which 24 are accepted. Program B has the higher purchase price and the lower acquisition cost per accepted case.
This example illustrates the calculation only. It is not TortHarbor pricing, a performance benchmark or a forecast. It excludes staffing, records collection, legal work and other downstream expenses.
| Measure | Program A | Program B |
|---|---|---|
| Net acquisition spend | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Delivered inquiries | 100 | 100 |
| Signed retainers | 15 | 30 |
| Accepted cases | 12 | 24 |
| Cost per retainer | $1,000 | $833.33 |
| Cost per accepted case | $1,250 | $1,041.67 |
Account for the work that remains with your firm
If your team wants a fully loaded view, add the intake and processing costs attributable to the same cohort. Keep those costs visible instead of combining them silently with the supplier’s price. You may want both measures: acquisition-only cost for sourcing decisions and a broader operating cost for staffing decisions.
A useful comparison can include attempts per lead, time spent confirming basic fit, missed calls, signing effort and work required to correct incomplete packets. Your team’s strengths matter. An experienced outreach operation may prefer a different purchased stage from a firm with limited screening capacity.
Ask for a quote you can reconcile
Before approving spend, align the proposal with your intake and finance teams. A written billing definition helps staff distinguish an objective delivery problem from a matter rejected later for reasons outside the purchased scope.
TortHarbor scopes inbound calls, leads and traffic around your requirements, with retainer delivery and AI-qualified transfers available under their respective programs. Bring your target volume, staffing capacity and outcome definitions so the proposal can address how your firm will evaluate the investment.
- Name the delivery stage and billable event.
- Specify exclusivity, duplicate rules and source requirements.
- Define credit reasons, evidence and review deadlines.
- Agree on caps and the process for pausing or changing delivery.
- Track the cohort through contact, signing and acceptance.
Plan the next step with your intake team.
Turn your claimant profile into specific questions, acceptable answers and hard disqualifiers. A shared brief gives sources a consistent standard and helps keep your team from spending time on known mismatches.
- Identify exposure or product, relevant dates, reported injury, geography and representation questions.
- Separate information needed before delivery from evidence your team will collect later.
- Choose the format, distribution terms, budget, daily cap and staffed delivery hours.
- Name the people who approve criteria, receive deliveries and reconcile outcomes.
These describe different stages. Keeping them separate helps your team understand what it is buying and what remains to be done.
- Screened: responses have been assessed against the campaign’s questions and rules.
- Verified: specified facts have been checked against identified evidence; define which checks are included.
- Retained: the agreed retainer documents have been signed.
- Accepted: your firm has completed the review it requires to accept the case. Neither screening nor a signature guarantees that result.
Outcome feedback turns intake experience into acquisition decisions. Track the same group of deliveries over time so we can identify where prospects stop progressing and discuss changes to sources, screening or handoff.
- Keep delivered, contacted, screened, retained and accepted counts separate.
- Record why an inquiry did not progress, such as unreachable, screening mismatch or insufficient supporting evidence.
- Allow for your intake and records-review cycle before comparing results.
- Use reconciled outcomes to discuss source mix, questions, delivery timing and capacity for the next phase.
Questions before you start
How much do mass tort leads cost?
A useful quote depends on the tort and the purchased scope, including screening, distribution and delivery requirements. Compare defined proposals and downstream outcomes rather than treating an unsupported market average as a budget.
Is cost per retainer the same as cost per accepted case?
No. Cost per retainer divides spend by signed retainers. Cost per accepted case divides spend by matters the firm accepts after its review. The counts can differ.
What if there are no accepted cases yet?
The cost per accepted case is not measurable as a finite amount when the count is zero. Keep the cohort marked as pending or unsuccessful, depending on whether review is complete; do not report a zero cost.