[Contribution] Overheated ‘CPC advertising’ in the lawyer industry, concerns over damage to public nature

One of the most notable online promotional tools in the lawyer industry these days is ‘CPC (Cost Per Click)’ advertising. The cost is calculated based on the number of times a customer clicks on an ad, and the unit price is higher for popular keywords with higher search volume. Advertisers engage in fierce bidding competition to ensure that their advertisements are exposed at the top of search engines and advertising platforms. Lawyers also appear not to be free from competition. This is because advertising expenses serve as a key factor in accepting cases.

The problem is that these CPC advertisements have a high risk of damaging the essence of legal services. As advertising competition intensifies, commercialization of the legal market accelerates, and as the cost burden increases, lawyers are likely to try to compensate by raising fees. In particular, the CPC unit price has been rising rapidly in the domestic legal market recently, and in the case of popular keywords with high search demand such as ‘divorce’ and ‘criminal litigation,’ the price per click is known to be around 100,000 won. Even if there are only 500 clicks a day, 50 million won in advertising costs are spent.

The structural problems of CPC advertising should not be overlooked. As it is a system that requires large amounts of advertising expenses to achieve top exposure, polarization surrounding advertising expenses can become extreme even within the lawyer industry. Lawyers who find it difficult to cover advertising costs ranging from at least several million won to up to hundreds of millions of won do not even have the opportunity to contact clients online. It is not only lawyers who are adversely affected. Users also continue to see advertisements from specific lawyers who have successfully bid high prices, which can lead to limited options.

Therefore, I believe that certain regulations are needed in the current CPC advertising market. This is because we must prevent the lawyer advertising market from being reorganized around capital power. However, unilateral and unconditional regulations may infringe on the constitutional values ​​of freedom of expression and freedom of occupation, so they must be approached with caution. I think the most realistic solution at present is to have law firms that conduct CPC advertising form a self-regulatory council. This is a method of having people voluntarily create advertising-related guidelines and encourage them to comply with them. Daeryun Law Firm, where the author belongs, is willing to participate if the Bar Association takes the lead in forming such a consultative body, and is hoping that the Bar Association will suggest a better plan if there is one.

As times change, with the development of information and communication technology, the expansion of the mobile environment, and the emergence of AI, the channels through which citizens use legal services are also becoming more diverse. in the lawyer industry

‘Online promotion’ is a trend of the times that can no longer be denied. However, there is an important value that should never be forgotten. These are ‘publicness’ and ‘economic equity.’ It is time to begin close monitoring and autonomous regulation of the overheated CPC advertising market so that the burden of advertising costs is not passed on to clients.
 

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[Contribution] Overheated ‘CPC advertising’ in the lawyer industry, concerns over damage to public interest (link)