Our firm resumed its television advertising last week after a long hiatus. Whether to return to television advertising was a difficut decision. In addition to considering the expense of telelvision advertising, there were also considerations relating to the effect of legal advertising on the profession and on the reputation of our firm. When all factors were considered, the bottom line conclusions were clear. First, Birmingham and the State of Alabama have grown in population to the point that the public cannot know from general reputation who they should hire to represent them in the various areas of the legal profession. In other words, while it may have been sufficient in the past for a lawyer to be good at what he or she does to obtain clients and for clients to recognize when to hire them, that is no longer sufficient. Second, the practice of law has become so specialized within the last two decades that the general public has a very difficult time determining which specialty applies to their legal problem and which specialist should be contacted. Finally, there are no legal “hospitals” similar to medical hospitals that can be looked to for screening their profesionals. Hospitals, by general reputation, can be counted on to some extent to screen the doctors practicing there for competency. A patient can then employ the doctor through his or her hospital affiliation. A similar scheme or system is not available in the legal profession.
Television advertising is an ethical means for communicating to prospective clients the availability of good lawyers to handle their legal problems. Does television advertising insure that the lawyer is qualified in a particular area? No. You should still ask questions when you meet with the lawyer concerning his or her expertise and their experience with cases like yours. You will find that many of the lawyers who are advertising are among the very best in their field, while others may fall short of your expectations. Nevertheless, television advertising can serve as a valuable tool in helping you find a qualified lawyer to handle your legal needs.
Lloyd W. Gathings
Tags: birmingham injury lawyer, lawyer advertising, lawyer television advertising, personal injury lawyer
