Keyword Filtering: How to Target Specific Charges

Not every case type is right for your practice. Maybe you specialize in DUI defense and don't want to wade through assault and theft leads. Maybe you focus on family law but only want dissolution cases, not child support enforcement. Keyword filtering lets you dial in exactly the charges you want — and exclude the ones you don't.

This guide shows you how to use include and exclude keywords to build a lead stream that matches your practice.

How Keyword Filtering Works

When you configure a circuit in your Legal Leads settings, you have two keyword options:

• Include keywords: Only leads containing at least one of these words in the offense description are delivered
• Exclude keywords: Leads containing any of these words are filtered out, even if they match include keywords

Keywords are matched against the offense_description field — the actual charge text from the court filing.

DUI/DWI Focus

If your practice specializes in drunk driving defense:

Drug Charges Focus

Traffic Only (No Criminal)

If you want pure traffic violations without any criminal misdemeanors:

Family Law: Dissolution Only

Theft and Property Crimes

Assault and Violent Crimes

Keyword Filtering Tips

• Start broad, narrow later. If you're unsure which keywords to use, start with case type only (no keywords) and review your leads. You'll quickly learn which charges appear that you don't want, then add exclude keywords.
• Check court language. Missouri courts use specific phrasing. "DWI - ALCOHOL" is more common than "DUI." Review a few days of leads to learn the actual terminology.
• Partial matches work. "intoxic" will match "intoxicated" and "intoxication." Use partial words when variations exist.
• Separate by comma. Enter multiple keywords separated by commas: "DWI, DUI, intoxicated"
• Exclude is powerful. Sometimes it's easier to exclude what you don't want than include everything you do. For general criminal defense, no include keywords + excludes for specific charges you don't handle.
• Per-circuit configuration. You can use different keywords for different circuits. Maybe you want all criminal in your home circuit but only DUI in adjacent circuits.

When NOT to Use Keywords

Keyword filtering reduces your lead volume. Use it when:

• You truly specialize and won't take cases outside your focus
• You have more leads than you can mail and need to prioritize
• You want to write charge-specific letters that only make sense for certain offenses

Don't use keywords when:

• You're building a general criminal defense practice and want all opportunities
• You're new to direct mail and still learning what converts
• Volume is already manageable without filtering