One Bad Lawyer Advertising Apple Spoils the Bushel

One of the common forms of bad lawyer advertising is when lawyers make lofty promises, creating unjustified expectations of ALL lawyers. You see these claims all the time: 

• Settlement in 30 days!
• No office appointment - no court!
• No points on your license!
• Guaranteed settlement! 

You don't see other professionals like doctors making claims like these, so how can lawyers? All of these promises involve factors out of our control, we aren't the insurance companies, the defendant, or the court system...these are the factors that control decisions like settlement, penalties and going to trial.

Lawyers still keep claiming these things, because some will do anything to avoid court and settle quickly. These are the sort of lawyers I warn my clients against when I have to refer them elsewhere. If you're advertising that you can help your clients avoid trial, it's usually because you want to avoid trial yourself.

The biggest problem with these kinds of absurd claim ads is that they create an unreasonable expectation on the rest of us. Clients may see all these other lawyers advertising things like 30-day settlements, no court guarantees, and wonder why you don't do the same. The answer should be because you're not afraid of trial and know that court settlements are almost always way more beneficial to the client.

If you're getting the right clients, they'll understand that good law practice means being prepared to see cases through trial to settlement, not hiding from the court system. They won't be swayed by other lawyer advertising gone horribly wrong and know that they're looking for a lawyer who has a handle on smart legal marketing. 

At Great Legal Marketing, we focus on saying NO to ineffective traditional lawyer marketing. We seek out new strategies to market to our ideal clients in ways they'll actually respond to. So, how do you get started? Get a FREE report and CD from legal marketing guru, Ben Glass.

Ben will teach you how to: stop marketing like every other lawyer on the block; grow the kind of practice you can be proud of; and still get home in time for dinner. Contact us today - 703-591-9829.