It can be difficult to know which law firm to call or what type of lawyer you need. If you don't have a recommendation from a friend or family member you trust, a quick internet search often yields an overwhelming amount of results. This is why a variety of ads are so important for a law firm.
So, you ask, why do the lawyers advertise for personal injury cases? Very simple, money. This is how it works. The lawyers spend a fortune advertising on TV and on billboards with their over-the-top advertisements and they are extremely successful in getting you to take the bait by calling them.
Often the TV lawyers seek a high volume of clients, many or most of whom are referred out to other attorneys. The advertiser may keep one or two cases so they can say that yes they actually represent clients. Others seek a volume of people to pad out the numbers of various class action lawsuits.
Based on the assertion that the ban on advertising by lawyers "is rooted in the public interest," since competitive advertising could be misleading and "would inevitably produce unrealistic expectations," the 1969 Code carried over the anti-advertising rules of the earlier Canons.
What can be called the modern era of attorney advertising began on June 27, 1977. That was the day the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, essentially striking down prohibitions against advertising by attorneys.
$50 millionSweet James noted that since 2012 it has spent more than $50 million on an "extraordinarily successful" campaign to promote its brand, including by advertising heavily through Southern California radio and television stations, billboards, and professional sports teams.
In some interesting quotes, the majority stated that a ban on lawyer advertising serves to “inhibit the free flow of information and keep the public in ignorance.” They also pointed out that “[b]ankers and engineers advertise, and yet these professions are not regarded as undignified.”
The advertisements can be misleading and might lead to unhealthy competition, and its expenditure may result in inappropriate fee hikes and deterioration in the quality of services provided by the lawyers. It is regarded as unprofessional and unethical.
“An Advocate shall not solicit work or advertise, either directly or indirectly, whether by circulars, advertisements, touts, personal communications, interview not warranted by personal relations, furnishing or inspiring newspaper comments or procuring his photograph to be published in connection with cases in which ...