Mass Marketing by Mass Tort Lawyers
By: Lucy Nashed, TLR Communications Director
“Have you been injured in a car accident?”
“Are you one of the thousands of Americans taking this prescription drug?”
“Has your insurance company unfairly denied or delayed your claim?”
Personal injury trial lawyer advertising is ubiquitous.
They’re not unique to any part of the country. They appear on broadcast television, cable, the websites we visit and now on the mobile apps we use on a daily basis.
I still can name several personal injury trial lawyer slogans and jingles from when I was a kid that remain engrained in my memory today, the result of years of repeated exposure.
Personal injury trial lawyer advertising is not new. The U.S. Supreme Court deemed it a matter of free speech in 1977, opening the door to an estimated $1 billion in lawyer advertising in 2017. But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s good.
At a recent conference of tort reform organizations from across the country, we heard that personal injury trial lawyers have started using digital geofencing—a method of serving ads to mobile phones in a targeted geographic area—to advertise directly to potential clients inside hospital emergency rooms. Talk about taking ambulance chasing to a whole new level!
And according to the Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), personal injury trial lawyer advertising can be bad for your health. ILR studied the dangerous—and sometimes deadly—effects of personal injury trial lawyer advertising related to prescription drugs and medical devices. It seems these ads have frightened some Americans, convincing them to stop taking medically necessary prescription drugs against their doctors’ orders, with sometimes dire consequences to their health.
Here at home, a drive down any major highway reveals countless billboards extolling the array of legal representation at your disposal—the majority of which, of course, comes at no cost to you… unless you win.
When it comes to advertising, Texans are a savvy bunch. In a May 2018 poll of Texas voters conducted by Baselice and Associates, 87 percent of respondents did not believe that the lawyer who advertises on TV would handle their case.
What many Texans may not realize, however, is that the law firm in the ad might not actually be the firm to handle your case at all. Many advertising lawyers are merely client harvesters. They generate clients through advertising and then farm out the actual work to other firms for a share of the fees generated by the cases. Now that doesn’t sit well with Texans.
In the Baselice poll, 82 percent of Texans surveyed believed that an attorney who advertises for your case should be required to clearly state upfront whether he or she will personally handle your case.
Texans depend on attorneys at difficult times to help them seek relief in the courts. They deserve transparency from Texas attorneys, not cheesy advertising gimmicks.
Described as the most complex litigation ever, the trial will begin to sort out the welter of accusations over the opioid crisis. While six drug companies are defendants in the case, jurors also may hear blame cast widely on doctors, government agencies and perhaps even drug users themselves. The jury’s response will help decide who should bear the cost of one of this century’s worst public health crises. Read and share: bit.ly/32quPDa
High-profile trial over who should pay for the opioid crisis begins
tortreform.com
Described as the most complex litigation ever, the trial will begin to sort out the welter of accusations over the crisis. While six drug companies are defendants in the case, juror...The Federal Trade Commission says lawyers and legal advertisers looking for plaintiffs to sue drug companies are making false claims in their TV ads, as well as possibly scaring viewers into stopping taking their medications. Read and share: bit.ly/2VTGFmz
Here are the names of lawyers whose TV ads are scaring and lying to viewers, according to the FTC
tortreform.com
The Federal Trade Commission says lawyers and legal advertisers looking for plaintiffs to sue drug companies are making false claims in their TV ads, as well as possibly scaring viewers into sto...A federal appeals court has turned away an attempt to halt the first federal opioid trial by ruling earlier this month against Ohio AG Dave Yost, who is concerned cities and counties in his state have usurped his authority. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit complained that Yost waited too long to make his move, noting he didn’t object to the lawsuits filed by Cuyahoga and Summit counties when they were first transferred to the federal multidistrict litigation in Cleveland. Read and share: bit.ly/2OYZgw9
No luck for Ohio AG in attempt to halt first federal opioid trial
tortreform.com
A federal appeals court has turned away an attempt to halt the first federal opioid trial by ruling Thursday against Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who is concerned cities and counties in his ...
Described as the most complex litigation ever, the [opioid] trial will begin to sort out the welter of accusations over the opioid crisis. Read & RT: https://t.co/bpRS0rvUHe #tortreform
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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.
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TLR has thousands of supporters across Texas who are committed to a fair and balanced civil justice system. Join our team 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.
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