As Seen on TV
Every day, Texans are inundated with a relentless stream of advertising for legal services.
As we’ve discussed before in this blog, personal injury trial lawyer advertising is neither new nor unique to a certain part of the country. If you’re watching TV, it seems these ads are inescapable.
A new report from the American Tort Reform Association shows just how common these ads are. In the fourth quarter of 2018, Texas TV viewers in the state’s four largest media markets saw an average of $4.1 million worth of legal services ads. This translates to an average of one legal services ad every minute in these four media markets.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, viewers saw an average of 14 local legal services ads an hour. Viewers in Houston saw 12 times as many legal services ads as commercials for banks. San Antonio saw the highest amount of spending on legal services ads, despite the media market being only a third of the size of Dallas and Houston. In Austin, viewers saw eight legal services ads for every one supermarket ad and four times as many legal services ads as fast food ads.
These are just local legal services ads. This does not include ads aired by out of state law firms and client generators that often target prescription drug and medical device users. As you may know, the Texas Legislature is considering a bill this session to rein in the language used in some of those ads that misleads some viewers into thinking the ads are supported by medical experts, or that they should stop taking medication at the risk of being injured by the drug.
This legislation, Senate Bill 1189, has passed the Texas Senate and is now before the House. Its bill author, Dr. Dawn Buckingham, is a physician who is concerned about the public health effects these ads are having on viewers, particularly the older Texans who the ads target. The House author of the companion bill, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, made a strong case in a committee hearing that other advertisers aren’t allowed to mislead viewers, and lawyers should be treated no differently.
It is clear Texas has no shortage of legal services ads. And as long as those ads are not misleading or giving the type of advice that should only be given by a doctor, they should certainly be allowed to air on TV. But we should all be concerned any time an ad misleads people into taking an action that could potentially hurt or kill them, as the FDA has found is the case with some legal services ads.
OP-ED: “As a small business owner in Bakersfield, I know firsthand how desperate the California small business community is to catch a break during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has already gone on longer than anyone expected, but instead of receiving help from our state leaders in Sacramento, we are left to suffer needlessly with no end in sight.” Read and share: bit.ly/3BOMVQO
bit.ly
As a small business owner in Bakersfield, I know firsthand how desperate the California small business community is to catch a break during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has already gone on lon...OP-ED: Texas policymakers must allow Texas employers to decide their own best practices to maintain workplace health and safety. To do otherwise would establish a concerning precedent of state interference into determining what workforce health and safety policies are best, without regard for a particular industry’s needs or the differences in manufacturing work environments. Read and share: bit.ly/3pbp22j
bit.ly
The Texas economy is strong because policymakers trust employers to run their businesses in ways that grow jobs and maintain a productive workforce. A healthy workforce results in a more productive wo...Texans for Lawsuit Reform And if you dont intervene, freedom suffers another blow and socialism gains a firmer foothold because businesses have shown, regardless of need or difference of environment, they are more than willing to violate an individual’s freedom and restrict their ability to work.
Republicans in the Texas Legislature face an uphill battle as they try to pass a bill exempting most of the state’s workforce from vaccine requirements enacted by their employers. In another sign of trouble, Texans for Lawsuit Reform came out against one of the bills ordered up by Abbott, House Bill 155, which the Texas House State Affairs Committee considered Wednesday. Read and share: bit.ly/3jfBsCK
Opposition grows as Texas Republicans try to upend vaccine mandates - Texans for Lawsuit Reform
bit.ly
Republicans in the Texas Legislature face an uphill battle as they try to pass a bill exempting most of the state’s workforce from vaccine requirements enacted by their employers. For one, Republica...
OP-ED: “I know firsthand how desperate the small business community is to catch a break during the #COVID19 pandemic. Instead of receiving help from our state leaders in Sacramento, we are left to suffer needlessly with no end in sight.” Read & RT:
Coronavirus crippled Calif. small businesses. Lawsuit reform can’t come fast enough. - Texans for Lawsuit Reform
As a small business owner in Bakersfield, I know firsthand how desperate the California small business community is to catch a break during the COVID-...
bit.ly
Since TLR’s founding, our supporters have made their voices heard at the Capitol by phone, e-mail & personal visits on every issue that affects a healthy civil justice system. Make your voice heard & get involved with TLR today!
Get Involved - Texans for Lawsuit Reform
Texans for Lawsuit Reform has thousands of supporters from across Texas who are committed to a fair and balanced civil justice system.
bit.ly
OP-ED: Texas policymakers must allow Texas employers to decide their own best practices to maintain workplace health and safety. To do otherwise would establish a concerning precedent. Read & RT: #tortreform
Commentary: Texas employers need flexibility to maintain workplace safety - Texans for Lawsuit Reform
The Texas economy is strong because policymakers trust employers to run their businesses in ways that grow jobs and maintain a productive workforce. A...
bit.ly
