Attorney Adrian Mark Baron
THE NUTMEG LAWYER
A Look at the Daily Trials & Tribulations of Law Practice
Mobile Law Offices, Free Biscotti and the
Continuing Decline of Western Civilization
An attorney advertising his or her wares was actually a common occurence throughout the history of our nation. Things only changed when the American Bar Association published the Canons of Professional Ethics in 1908. It was then that the ABA adopted the rules which prohibited attorneys from advertising. The era of Disco would change things yet again with a ruling following Bates v. Arizona. In a nutshell, let's just say "Have you recently been injured in an auto accident" became part of our American lexicon.
If only I had the courage to use this ad.
Over the years, I have been continually amazed at the lengths some firms will push in order to gain a small foothold in a crowded legal market. Some of these efforts have been unique and groundbreaking. Many others teeter on the precipice of taste and professionalism. Here, at the Nutmeg Lawyer, we have grown a collection of over the top ads and questionable marketing efforts. We'll let you be the judge. Should we harrumph and wag our fingers? Or should we lighten up? After all, you have to keep the lights on and pay the secretary.
Take this tongue in cheek video from Attorney Michael Naso who reminds prospective clients "You need a lawyer" as he shows off his rapping skills on Youtube. As Naso reminds us, sometimes you have to think outside the box. With lyrics like "You own a company and you're having sex, with a fine secretary, you want your wife to be your ex. You need a lawyer" how could one go wrong?
Truth be told, I'm just poking a little good natured fun at a few fellow barristers. I also wanted to share the creative efforts of others. I guess I just get a kick out of lawyer advertising. I started thinking about the ethics behind the way some attorneys present themselves. For example, is it really OK to say you have 75 years of combined experience when that "experience" is your 5 years coupled with the 70 years of your semi-retired, half dead, of-counsel partner who keeps calling you "Billy " The guy hasn't seen the inside of courtroom since the Carter administration. Is it OK to claim multiple offices when that list includes your mother's house and a rented card table at the YMCA. Where is the line?
Do You Speak a Second Language? Are you Board Certified?
Are you bald? Share the attributes that make you stand out from the pack.
Apparently that line keeps moving further and further. One of my personal favorite has to be attorney Peter "P'Ta Mon" Jones. This is his actual ad. He advertises himself as the "Thug's Lawyer".
Not to be out done, I don't thing P"Ta Mon Jones is as dope as LA's Dopest Attorney Allison Margolin, a Harvard Law grad. I always considered myself more "rad" than "dope."
Of course, we all know everyone loves gorillas. And what better way to describe your law office. You want your lawyer swatting away your problems like errant bi-planes circling the Empire State Building. If movies have taught me anything, apes will soon take over the earth. We might as well start reaching out to those "damn dirty apes."
Of course, most small practitioners cannot afford a gorilla. You might want to settle for a professional wrestler. Or maybe some other celebrity. I recently drove by a law office with actor Robert Vaughn plastered on the exterior walls. (You know the guy from Man from U.N.C.L.E. or the academy award winning film Pootie Tang). Unfortunately, my office doesn't have the finances to hire a big time celeb like Vaughn. The best we could do is a cut out of Erik Estrada. I like to place it behind our reception desk holding a balloon with our logo on it.
You may recall a Fetman Garland & Associates Ad that implored drivers that "Life is too Short, Get a Divorce." It was revealed that the woman in the ad was actually Corri Fetman, a principal in the firm. The ad eventually led to a spot in Playboy for her. She now refers to herself as the Love Attorney
When preparing your ad keep it simple. Stringer Law keeps it to the basics. "Call Me. I'm a Lawyer. I'm On a Billboard." What more do you need to know? (thanks to the Chive who originally posted this photo)
I plead the fifth on this one.
When promoting yourself, it helps to have an appropriate name. I can only assume that this attorney provides himself with his own clients.
Of course, I am sure Chuck is not the only warrior out there.
Or what about the Magic Lawyer®. Georgia's Attorney Robert Speer (above photo) He poses complete with a deck of cards and proclaims his office is "where law meets magic."® Thanks to the law blawg "A Public Defender" for this find. Not your typical law office, the lobby has an autographed David Blaine poster, a golden King Tut and a slot machine. (David Blaine? Come on. The guy's idea of magic is sitting in a box for several hours. Heck, I once hid under my desk from a client for three days.)
Philadelphia's Steve Leventhal might give him a run for his money. In a recent construction accident lawsuit, an opposing lawyer actually made a motion asking the judge to ban Levathal from performing any magic tricks during the trial. The motion requested that the attorney be "precluded from referencing the fact that he is a professional magician and is precluded from performing any magic tricks and/or magic acts in the presentation of his clients’ case to the jury"
Do you feel like you're tied to the tracks? Don't worry. There are heroes for hire at Sidkoff, Pincus & Green. They can save you from that oncoming train. Truth be told, I actually got a kick out of this ad.
Of course, then they compared themselves to Rambo.
So OK, you've got the clever ad. But where are you going to meet your clients? Some firms have even begun the practice of using "mobile law offices." As the Donahey law firm states "If you are unable to come to one of our branch offices we can come to you at your home, your office, or in the hospital; anywhere in Ohio". The mobile office is simply an SUV with their logo. Others, like Attorney John Dearie, (photo above) have actually purchased buses retrofitted into law offices. Apparently, you can fit more injured clients into a bus than you can a BMW. Not to be outdone, I hear there is a "Wills on Wheels" car in Maryland, which visits nursing homes and assisted living sites, and a guy with a van in Florida that dispenses legal advice at flea markets. If Atticus Finch only had a bus think of how much more he could have accomplished.
Dearie is not the only one. Check out New York's Kramer & Pollack's mobile office.
Not far from my office in New Britain, we have a hybrid law office / barber shop. It's an interesting concept that might attract a few harrumphs from the stodgy crowd. Yet, the more I thought about the concept, the more it grew on me. The thought of walking into a stuffy law firm with long dead senior partners glaring down from oil painted perches is pretty intimidating to some people. Perhaps this hybrid barbershop could offer a nice alternative. A place where many are more comfortable to discuss their problems. It can really break down barriers. And it's gotten Attorney Howard some positive press including articles in the ABA Journal, the Connecticut Law Tribune, an interview on NPR and of course a profile in the Nutmeg Lawyer.
If you have a musical side or a talent with dancing, you may want to consider staging an elaborate dance flash mob in a public place.If you happened to be in the Commerce Food court in Toronto, you may have seen a few associates, partners and staff of a prestigious law firm actually break out into a "flash mob." Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) is a 150 year old firm with more than 550 lawyers spread out among offices in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, London, Bahrain, Beijing, Al-Khobar and Shanghai. Searching for the video on youtube, I noticed somebody stepped in and marked it private. I assume some nervous partner got cold feet at how the video would be received. Luckily, we found another version. A tap of the gavel to Blakes for kicking off their Sunday shoes. It's nice to let your hair down once and awhile. As such, I am currently teaching my staff the Macarena. Say what you will, I think the dance is poised for a comeback.
As you can see, the white shoe firms do it too. Blake, Cassels & Graydon isn't the first. If you saw the movie "Wolf of Wall Street" you know how crazy the parties can get. While they are not quite tossing midgets, you gotta love Nixon Peabody's wonderful
celebratory theme song. This isn't some solo practitioner trying to make a name for himself. This is a big corporate firm. This should brighten your day. It's the kind of party music you would hear during a Police Academy movie or the chase scene in a Beverly Hills Cop sequel. ( By the way, I did not produce this video. Although I am skilled at making typos, I know how to spell apologize.)
However you decide to market your practice, take a moment to consider how your efforts might be perceived by others. For example, when you hear an attorney referred to as "Queen of Malpractice" do you automatically think they are great at medical malpractice claims or do you think that the attorney is grieved all the time? The same can be said for your website domain name. Take the example of whorepresents.com , a website where you can find out the names of agents and attorneys representing various celebrities. That's "who represents" not "whore presents." Get your mind out of the gutter. Or what about the attorney at drunkdrivinglawyer.com Effective and easy to remember. But do you want to be known as a "drunk driving attorney?"
I always wonder when someone takes that fork in the road. One minute you start law school with dreams of arguing before the Supreme Court. Somewhere along the way, you're handing out St. Patty's Day T Shirts to drunks with your law firm's phone number.
Or you begin leaving business card condoms at hotel bars to attract adulterous clients contemplating divorce. Of course, if you are thinking of divorce, you might want to check out a law firm in Florida that bills itself as the divorce deli. (Credit to Sean Carter) Customers even receive free biscotti baked by the attorney's wife Amy with every order. http://www.divorcedeli.com
Have you run across some unique marketing efforts? Feel free to submit them and we'll add them to our growing list.
What makes a good lawyer commercial? Leather jacket? Check. Cowboy boots? Check. Ring of Fire while you stand in a graveyard throwing a sledgehammer? Check
Have Cupid's flapping wings flapped past your house. If you're lucky, maybe you can win a divorce. The applicant with the best reason for a divorce wins provided it's a basic divorce with no kids and major issues.
As he adjusts his cuff links and gets into his convertible, Georgia Attorney Ken Nugent claims that ambulances chase him.
Of course, what better way to promote your law firm than a dancing squirrel?