If you have eyes, you can’t help but see all of the TV and billboard ambulance chasing lawyers polluting our streets, TVs and Internet feeds. There is a reason why this is happening: personal injury cases can be worth a lot of money. And the sad thing is that most people injured in car crashes don’t have a lawyer they know to refer them to a respectable, seasoned, honest personal injury attorney. So, they find the loudest, most obnoxious clown on TV, see the “clients” they have represented bragging about how much money they received in their personal injury case, and ‘voila’ they have captured another naive, desperate person whose life has been dramatically impacted by a terrible trauma.
What you don’t see on all these TV ads, billboards and bus benches is that most mass media law firms have a system to get people signed up as fast as possible. Many times without ever meeting a lawyer, let alone the stars of all these commercials who profess to really care about you. Many advertising firms are not even from Colorado and may only have a small Denver office with a skeleton staff to maintain the illusion they are a Colorado law firm. All these firms brag about the ‘billions’ they recovered for victims, but they never let you know how many millions they spend annually to advertise.
Often, when a personal injury victim retains one of these firms it can leave the client more confused and frustrated than before they started. I cannot tell you how many current and former clients came to me after they mistakenly hired one of these firms and asked if they could switch. Switching law firms in the middle of a case is entirely acceptable and legal and we encourage more people to do it. Sometimes we can take over a case and provide the one-on-one attention the client craves, and other times the damage to their case is really hard to fix, and we cannot “right the ship”. It’s a frustrating thing to see someone regret a decision to hire a questionable law firm just because they have been promised riches. But it happens a lot.
Do I sound angry? Bitter? Resentful? A little I suppose, because I have found representing injured clients a highlight of my professional career, but the ugly truth is that advertising law firms have cheapened our profession which can impact all injured clients, not just those represented by the advertising firms. The personal injury practice is a noble practice and something I am proud to be a part of. I have a drawer full of notes and cards from former clients thanking me and my staff for helping them through their awful experience; appreciative of how we helped ensure they received the best medical care, handled the insurance companies and in most cases delivered them a settlement check that was far more than they had thought possible. But guess what? Not every case has the happiest ending. Sometimes, despite all of our hard work and the medical care our clients received, we don’t get the result we wanted. It’s rare, but the dirty little secret these TV and billboard lawyers don’t ever share is that it does happen. And promising riches when there are complicated liability issues, fairly minor injuries, or worst of all limited insurance coverage, is an irresponsible and unjust way to handle clients.
These firms need every client they can get. TV commercials and billboards cost millions of dollars a year. And that means they need to churn and burn and get every client they can. Some people in the industry estimate that over 90% of all injured people hire just a handful of law firms. NOT because they are good. But because they don’t know any better and just dial the number they see on TV.
If you, or one of your clients, friends or loved ones want a true local Colorado personal injury firm that will handle your case carefully and personally, then there are many reputable lawyers I know who are ready, willing and able. Call me first. If my firm is not the right fit I promise to get you connected with a lawyer I know and trust. We are out there, you just don’t see our faces splattered all over the place. And that is a good thing…because you don’t want to see my face everywhere!
