Why You Should Never Pay Attention To Lawyer Advertisements When Hiring A Lawyer In Kingston, New York?

The worst possible way to hire an injury lawyer is to call the first lawyer you spot on TV or in a newspaper advertisement. Just because the lawyer can afford a TV, radio or newspaper advertisement doesn’t mean he’s a good lawyer and in most cases, he’s not.

As a consumer, you are flooded constantly with cheesy lawyer advertisements on TV, radio and newspapers. With this constant barrage of awful lawyer commercials, how can you tell the good from the bad? You can’t…at least not based on the ridiculous advertisements.

While driving through Jacksonville, Florida on I-95 last month, I saw what seemed like an endless flow of tasteless billboard lawyer ads. Each billboard ad contained a large photo of a lawyer (usually not a flattering picture to be kind–these guys should at least hire a model for their billboard) and the ads read pretty much the same thing: “Don’t settle for less than you deserve” (really?), or “You hurt. We fight.” (do injury lawyers really fight? Put your dukes up), or “Injured? 1-800-411-PAIN”, or “Helping the injured” (don’t the other guys in town help the injured too?) or “You can call me Chuck” (at least this one is slightly unique).

The billboard lawyer ads are total crap! Do injury victims really hire these guys? If so, why would an injury victim choose one of these lawyers over the others, when their ads are all the same crap.

A little known inside secret among injury lawyers is that few of these lawyers actually practice trial law (despite their obnoxious claims in their ads). If these lawyers can’t settle your case quick, they will refer your case to a trial lawyer and take a referral fee that is one-third or more of the total legal fee. Not a bad day’s work if you can get it. The “TV lawyers” are laughing all the way to the bank and the fact that they diminish the profession means nothing to them.

The lesson for the day: If you need an injury lawyer, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Do not hire the first lawyer you see on a TV, radio or newspaper ad. Let me save you the pain of hiring a TV lawyer: ask your lawyer friends about the best injury lawyer in your area and interview more than one lawyer before making a decision. Get all of the information you can about the lawyers you interview, i.e., past settlements and verdicts in similar cases and experience with your particular kind of case. Take your time and don’t rush the process. The hiring of the right injury lawyer is likely one of the most important decisions you will make, so make sure you do it right.

Remember, you will spend a lot of time with your injury lawyer over the next year or two. You better make sure your lawyer is someone you can trust and you like.

If you have questions about the most common mistakes made by injury victims when hiring an injury lawyer, I welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882. You are always welcome to request a FREE copy of my book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, by sending me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com .