Lawyer ads a sad reflection on our profession

Buffalo HodgePodge, part of the excellent Western New York Media network, summarizes the sad state of lawyer advertising as well as anyone.

Labeling the ads an out of control a cancer and noting he has nothing against lawyers, with his wife even being in law school, here’s the commentary.

1. It’s mostly personal injury lawyers. Yes there are a few good ones whose litigation help hold businesses and other product/service providers accountable for maintaining product safety and service integrity. But there are way too many that I know of who fit the ‘ambulance chaser’ profile and it’s hard for me to respect preying on emergency rooms and obituaries as a means of making a living. So to clarify what I said above – no I have nothing against lawyers but I suppose I do a little against the ‘personal injury’ slice of ‘em.

2. The correlation between the prominence of said law firms in WNY and our local economic stagnation (reflected in the fact that lawyers, not other consumer businesses, are occupying our billboards and airwaves) is patently obvious. It’s another arrow in the quiver of folks who rightly argue that Buffalo and WNY are terrible places to start and run a business. Torts and other settlements have become incredibly high and directly increase the costs of doing business – and make us uncompetitive with other parts of the country.

3. The billboards, let alone the TV and radio spots, are a horrible introduction to people who are visitingBuffalo and don’t reflect what we’re all about. Hard to brand ourselves as the ‘City of Good Neighbors’ when three glances indicate that we’re a wicked den of self-flagellating litigation.

4. Finally- the ads themselves are not very entertaining – they all show balding men walking through big oak doors – with a deep, staid voice doing the voice-over. Message to law firm ad directors: You’ve had enough practice, people.Show some creativity!

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