Personal Injury Law Marketing: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

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Personal Injury Law Marketing The Good, The Bad
and The Ugly
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Say the words personal injury lawyer at a party
and watch the eyes roll. But is that attitude
entirely fair?Fair it may not be. Deserved?
Thats another question altogether. Here in
Ontario, when the Law Society of Upper Canada
decided to relax its rules around marketing for
lawyers, some firms took that to mean that
advertising and marketing could become a free for
all of loud graphics, flashing lights and in
your face aggressive marketing tactics.
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Most firms did not follow them down this path,
but we all tend to get painted with the same
tarnished brush.So if were going to discuss the
good, bad and the ugly, lets just get ugly out
of the way first.The Ugly Side Of Personal
Injury Law MarketingWeve all seen them the
loud advertisements on television, billboards and
websites, telling you that if youve been injured
somehow,
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that you need to call XYZ Law Firm and get your
money. Their whole marketing plan is centered
around telling you that they and presumably
they alone would work so very hard for you, so
much so that they wont take a dime unless you
get a settlement.Guess what? Thats true for
most ALL personal injury lawyers! Unlike other
areas of law (real estate, commercial, etc.)
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personal injury lawyers are typically only paid
based on a settlement, including disbursements
for expenses. While not a false claim, its
certainly one that could be misinterpreted if you
didnt know the truth of the matter.
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The Bad Side of Personal Injury Law
MarketingSocial media has created an
interesting way that some firms can skirt the
edges of whats known as ambulance chasing. What
is that? Its an old saying that refers to a
lawyer approaching a victim at an accident site,
literally chasing the ambulance to the hospital,
in order to secure the case.This kind of
behaviour is,
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obviously, completely unethical and goes against
the Rules of Professional Conduct that are
outlined by the Law Society (Source). Thanks to
social media however, a lawyer or firm could
approach potential clients under the guise of
rendering assistance. For example, if you were
tweeting with a friend that you had been in a car
accident a few days before and now your neck was
hurting,
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you open yourself up to being approached by a
lawyer or firm about your injuries if there is a
connection between the lawyer and that friend.
Its a sketchy approach and not widely used, but
it exists.Buying followers o As to other online
resources, if youre reading a blog on a firms
website (like this one) or other information that
is provided by a firm, consider their sources. n
Twitter to make firms look more important
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(Im proud to say that my Twitter community is
completely organic and its taken me years to
develop it) and borrowing content from other
lawyers or resources with little in the way of
attribution are not uncommon practices.
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One last thing to consider is the volume of
advertising that some firms engage in. Marketing
personal injury legal services is one situation
where more isnt always better. The quality of
the information being provided is far more
important. Be wary and do your homework before
signing a retainer.
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The Good Side of Personal Injury Law Marketing
Letting people know about their options in
personal injury situations, via marketing, is a
good thing. There is real value in marketing
truths and letting the public know whats
available to them, how to access the services and
why its important that they do access them in a
timely fashion.
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For example, the fact that personal injury
lawyers usually get paid based on a settlement,
as I mentioned earlier, is positive it makes
justice accessible to all, not just those who can
afford to go forward with a suit.Personal injury
lawyers work closely with their clients and care
about them. They play a vital role in the justice
system by advocating for accident victims,
facilitating access to care and rehabilitation,
and reaching fair settlements for clients,
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so that they can go on with their lives, plans
and hopes for the future. When youre looking at
hiring a personal injury lawyer, its far more
important that you be comfortable with their
skills and style than with flash and glamour
advertising. I encourage you to do your due
diligence when choosing a lawyer and, if
something makes you uncomfortable, trust your
instincts. http//derekwilsonlaw.ca/