Jerry Summers
The recent invasion of Choo Choo City, Hamilton County, state of Tennessee, by the world's largest personal injury firm on the radio, television, cable, billboards, etc. may have created some apprehension and increased blood pressure readings amongst the local self promotion members of the local legal community. It will certainly lead to increased expenditures in the advertising budgets of the local barristers solicitors community.
“Gotta Get Me”, “The Outsiders”, “Best of the Greatest”, “It's Very Personal”, “Best Settlement Guaranteed”, etc. are all catchy phrases arising out of the addictive nature of the public known as the “appeal of advertising”.
The first secret to being a successful plaintiff lawyer and the personal injury field is very simple - get the cases.
If your law firm is able to spend a million or so dollars yearly (several law firms do on legal advertising, on radio, television, cable, billboards, mass mailings to accident victims - after 30 days in Tennessee only), then the competition to proudly claim the modern day version of the title of ambulance chaser has just intensified.
In case you haven't noticed, on all forms of media, the advertising, all of the above has suddenly become saturated with the appearance of the Orlando, Florida based guru group of mostly paid actors giving testimonials. They espouse as to why most of the hard-working attorneys that have successfully and competently represented you, your family and or friends for many years are suddenly not able to handle your case when you are rear-ended while sitting still at a traffic light by a commercial vehicle!
Although the viewing and airing public may look forward to an additional entry into the lawyer advertising production, the M and M gang may have hit a small snag in the great state of Arkansas.
On March 24 ,2024 a disgruntled attorney member of a small law firm filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming that the use of client testimonials and dramatizations and attorney advertisements violate the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct, regulating attorney conduct.
It should be pointed out that Tennessee doesn't have the same rule, but the general intent to prevent often misleading and deceptive practices towards the general public remains the same.
(Whether there will be any effect on the current lawyer advertising practices in 2024 in Tennessee, is beyond the scope of this article.)
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