Legal advertising -- continued

Dianne says:  When lawyers first started advertising, many people felt it cheapened the profession.  But these were people who already had access to lawyers.  Advertising made it possible for the average guy and gal to determine that they might have a case and they might even be able to pursue that case.  Advertising brought the courthouse to the average American -- it made justice more accessible -- or at least the courthouse more accessible.  Nowadays there are ads everywhere you look from highway billboards, to bus flyers, to telephone books and to television.  However, now the consumer has to pay close attention.  Because like all other products advertised, there are issues the consumer may not recognize.  For instance, in a Social Security Disability case there are several national firms who will fly around the country to meet with the client and to attend their hearing.  These firms will send in non-attorneys to represent clients at the hearings (permissable in Social Security hearings) and the person who does the hearing will not meet the client until a few minutes before the hearing.  In addition, some times, these firms after having reviewed the evidence in the case, will decide that the client doesn't have a chance at winning with that particular judge and will withdraw from representation leaving the client to find a new representative at the last minute. Because the person who withdrew was not an attorney,he or she is not governed by the attorney ethical regulations of the state and cannot be chastised for leaving the client in the lurch.

An attorney is governed by the State Bar and is responsible for following a fairly strict code of ethics. But if someone isn't an attorney, it doesn't matter if they breach the code of ethics!  Like has always been said -- Buyer beware.  And that's true with lawyers as well!  More in the future