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When An Advertising Lawyer Pulls A Bait And Switch

Credibility. It’s one of the biggest failures in the legal field. What is a leading cause of this credibility problem? Bad lawyer advertising! Lawyer ads are everywhere. They are overwhelming. They are almost all terrible.

Instead of authenticity, too many lawyers will say or publish anything to sign clients. From fast cash promises to fake blogs to ghostwritten content, lawyer marketing is terrible. Some lawyers even chase clients and cases in legal areas they really do not handle. That’s a terrible practice and terrible insult to the legal profession. Our friends and neighbors deserve better.

If you’ve watched any television, you’ve seen the onslaught of bad lawyer commercials. Have you taken this drug? Call me! Have you been in a car wreck? Call me! Many of these advertising lawyers have never even seen the inside of a courtroom. They do not try cases. They are not going to work your case for maximum value. Some of these advertising lawyers do not even have an office in Alabama.

One local Huntsville law firm has taken the issue to another step. This firm advertises itself as a one-stop shop for all your legal needs. Of course, that’s bad for consumers. A jack of all trades is a master of none. Would you trust a heart doctor to treat your injured back?

Are you hiring a focused lawyer or a generalist trying to dabble in every legal area?

Want to plan an Estate? Want some small business advice? Need a divorce? Arrested for DUI? Injured? This Huntsville firm says it handles everything. In one of their videos, they actually claim to be qualified because their own family members have been arrested, divorced or injured. Really?

Click on that Huntsville firm’s website. Their website says the firm wants your personal injury case. But, the fine print tell us something very different. We’ve all seen this bait and switch. The sales pitch promises are followed by the fine print reality. By “fine print,” I mean the smaller print at the bottom of this firm’s personal injury website page. What does the “fine print” tell us? I’ll copy and paste it (normal size) so you can read it:

Disclaimer: While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type are referred to other attorneys for principle responsibility.

What is the truth? Are you getting the personal injury lawyer you hired? This advertising firm wants your case. That is true. They want the case for a fee. This advertising law firm has a deal for another outside lawyer to handle the case!

Are you hiring a dedicated lawyer or a referral service trying to broker clients?

This is a huge bait and switch. It’s a huge issue of authenticity and credibility. Unless a lawyer devotes his time and practice to handling personal injury cases through trial and appeal, he should not advertise for these cases. It’s wrong. It hurts consumers. It hurts the credibility of lawyers as professionals.

We focus on one thing — Alabama personal injury cases. We focus for a reason. We want to study, practice and perfect each part of personal injury work. We want to be scholars of personal injury law. We want to give our injured clients total dedication. Whatever your legal need, look for a lawyer who focuses their study and work in that area.

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From its office in Huntsville, the Blackwell Law Firm helps people with serious personal injuries across Alabama. We focus solely on personal injury and damage cases so that we can devote 100% of our time and effort to these cases. If you have a question about personal injury law, let us know. We are happy to answer questions or provide free advice.