What happened: Law firms across the country collected millions in forgiven taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic—funds primarily intended to keep small businesses afloat during the public health emergency. Soon after, some of the nation’s largest personal injury firms started spending big on billboards, campaign contributions and luxury perks, raising ethical questions about the intended use of the relief funds.

By the numbers: 

• During the pandemic and just after it, legal advertising spending surged across the country from roughly $1.89 billion in 2020 to over $2.35 billion by 2022.
• In the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org, Morgan & Morgan was responsible for $2,632,578 in campaign donations primarily to Democratic candidates. That was up from $651,179 in 2018 and up from $1,595,742 in the 2016 presidential cycle.
• In 2023, Las Vegas attorney Steven Dimopoulos posted a video on Instagram of him eating caviar and drinking from a bottle of Louis XIII Cognac, which retails for more than $5,000 a bottle, with the caption “another day, another 900k.” The Dimopoulos Law firm had its nearly $400,000 PPP loan forgiven in 2021. 

TLR Thoughts: This pattern shows once again how certain personal injury trial lawyers exploit loopholes and take advantage of the system for their own personal and political gain. TLR will continue advocating for reforms that serve hardworking Texas families—not the plaintiffs’ bar’s pocketbook.

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