What can be called the modern era of lawyer advertising began on June 27, 1977. That was the day the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Bates v. the Arizona State Bar Association, in which it basically overturned prohibitions against advertising by lawyers. So advertising for lawyers is actually a little over 40 years old. Starting in the early 1970s, different forms of advertising emerged.
Lawyers could advertise in newspapers and magazines, yellow pages, billboards, and any suitable advertising space available.
Attorney advertising became increasingly important for the legal industry to reach its target clients.
There was a time when, in general terms, lawyers were not allowed to advertise. In my role as marketing director at Phillips Murrah, I refer to those days as “the dark ages”. This anachronistic tradition, a remnant of Great Britain, was a regulation imposed from within the legal industry through bar associations.That's why these traditional forms of advertising were quickly overtaken by the modern form of lawyer advertising: online marketing methods. The claim that advertising will diminish the lawyer's reputation in the community is questionable. While 1977 may seem like a long time ago, the reality is that many “established attorneys” still disapprove of lawyer advertising. But what if “television lawyers” can't solve your case with little time, effort, and money? “Television attorneys” refer their case to another law firm with experience in litigation with attorneys who, in fact, judge cases in a courtroom; attorneys at a litigation firm are called “trial attorneys” (this is the type of lawyer you are looking for for your case).
Spend time researching the Internet and asking friends and family about the most reputable “trial attorneys” who handle personal injury cases. In fact, cynicism regarding the profession may be due to the fact that it has long publicly avoided advertising, while condoning the actions of the lawyer who structures his social or civic associations to facilitate contacts with potential clients. While newer, younger lawyers tend to take a much more favourable approach to advertising and can hardly imagine a time when lawyers were not allowed to advertise, there are still lawyers who are unhappy with Bates's decision more than 40 years later. The decision determined that lawyers should be allowed to inform the public about their legal practice through advertising.
In view of the time needed to develop these contacts, the prohibition actually serves to perpetuate the position of established lawyers in the market. He is now mainly dedicated to promoting projects related to the improvement of the use of the LegalMatch system by lawyers. This saves lawyers valuable time, as they can pre-screen case publications and select only those cases that are right for them. As a result, people who needed legal services were struggling to find attorneys who were exactly tailored to their legal needs.
In the absence of advertising, an attorney must rely on their contacts with the community to generate a flow of business. I wouldn't have met these people and they most likely wouldn't have found me, among the hundred other family law attorneys in this area, without LegalMatch.
