Can You Trust Your Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorney?
I doubt that there's anybody who wakes up in the morning saying, "gee, I'd sure like to learn more about Philadelphia personal injury lawyers today...that would sure be a great way to spend my day."
So, when it comes to marketing a personal injury law practice, one is generally butting up against a group of potential clients that are generally disinterested in everything I talk about in my blogs, websites, books, and newsletters.
But the problem for a legal marketer is much deeper than that. All lawyers see their customers, a/k/a clients, under conditions of duress. This is particularly true when it comes to personal injury lawyers. That is, our first meeting with our clients is after a car wreck, injury from a doctor's negligence, or the like.
The Fifth Circuit Court of appeals has recently ruled that certain limitations on lawyer advertising is unconstitutional, namely on free speech grounds. ( Public Citizen v. Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board United States Court of Appeals 5th Cir., 2011 WL 285226 , 1/31/11). The Fifth Circuit struck down most of Louisiana's restrictions on lawyer advertising, handing attorneys in that state a partial victory. The case will potentially be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of the use of monikers and mottos in advertisements.
In the case, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a rule prohibiting speech that promises favorable legal results while striking down restrictions on references to past factual results. But here's the interesting part of the opinion. The Court cited the Louisiana Disciplinary Board's telephone survey of the public, which the Louisiana Disciplinary Board used to rely upon in order to restrict lawyer advertising. Here's some of what the survey's conclusion were.
- 83% of the public did not agree “client testimonials in lawyer advertisements are completely truthful;
- 26% agreed that lawyers endorsed by a testimonial have more influence on Louisiana courts;
- 40% believe that lawyers are "generally dishonest;"
- 61% believe that Louisiana lawyer advertisements are “less truthful” than advertisements for other items or services;
- 56% of the public thinks lawyer advertising is generally misleading;
- 59% of the public said that these advertisements decrease their confidence in the integrity of Louisiana lawyers;
It's clear the public is a tough audience. I have no doubt that the Pennsylvania public would give similar responses to such a survey.
However, that's good news to me. My marketing and advertising is designed to provide good, useful, helpful, fascinating information about the law and about the real problems facing accident victims in the metro Philadelphia area. My marketing stands out from the crowd for a reason. I want my customers who contact me and who come in my door, inherently distrustful of the legal industry and under a life situation where they are under extreme stress and probably in pain, to know me, going in. I want them to be educated about me and about what they are facing in their case, generally, from the free information I provide in my marketing materials. This sets me apart from the crowd of Philadelphia personal injury lawyers who use less open methods of marketing their law practices.
It comes as no surprise that the public is hesitant when it comes to lawyer advertising. Many lawyers advertise in an obnoxious and loud ways that really don't tell you anything. What the public really wants is helpfully information about their situation.
I'll admit, I am a skeptic when it comes to certain types of advertisement, especially loud, flashy ones like some other attorneys. However, I do like the fact that it seems your goal is to keep the client informed by posting articles like these. I think a more informed-less predatory approach makes the client more comfortable and more confident in their attorney.