Board Certified—Any Better?

Tennessee has a continuing legal education system that allows lawyers to represent that they are board certified as civil or criminal lawyers.

            What does this mean?

1.     The lawyer can represent to the public that they are interested in handling certain types of cases.

2.     The lawyer can represent to the public that they have passed a test that the degree of difficulty is comparable to a law school exam.

3.     The lawyers in Tennessee have complied with the requirements of the National Board of Trial Advocacy prior to January 1, 2015, and after that date may be certified as being a legal specialist by an organization that has been accredited by the American Bar Associations House of Delegates.

            The vast number of lawyers in Tennessee do not become “Board Certified.”  Does this indicated that they are any less qualified to handle the cases with the same efficiency that the self-promoting advertising lawyers claim?  No it does not.

            Before you select a lawyer to represent you who claims to be “Board Certified” be certain to check their entire reputation in the community by talking to more than one attorney or law firm.

            IN ONE OF THEIR RADIO COMMERCIALS THEIR SPOKESPERSON FOR ONE OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISERS IMPLIES THAT BECAUSE TWO ATTORNEYS ARE BOARD CERTFIFIED THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY LAWYERS THAT CAN TAKE YOUR CASE TO COURT.  THIS IS INCORRECT AND IS DECEPTIVE.  ANY LAWYER LICENSED IN TENNESSEE BY THE TENNESSEE SUPREME COURT CAN FILE YOUR CASE IN COURT.

            Tennessee has over 12,000 licensed attorneys.  To date the following number of attorneys have fulfilled the requirement to advertise as specialists:

A.   Business Bankruptcy Specialist—12 in Tennessee                 0 in Chattanooga

B.    Civil Pre-Trial Specialist—71 in Tennessee                            5 in Chattanooga

C.    Civil Trial Specialist—112 in Tennessee                                 10 in Chattanooga

D.   Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist—33 in Tennessee               4 in Chattanooga

E.    Creditor Rights Specialist—6 in Tennessee                            0 in Chattanooga 

F.    Criminal Law Specialist—23 in Tennessee                             1 in Chattanooga

G.   DUI Defense Specialist—1 in Tennessee                               0 in Chattanooga

H.   Elder Law Specialist—15 in Tennessee                                  1 in Chattanooga

I.      Estate Planning Specialist—26 in Tennessee              2 in Chattanooga

J.     Family Law Specialist—12 in Tennessee                                1 in Chattanooga

K.   Juvenile Law Specialist—53 in Tennessee                              3 in Chattanooga

L.    Legal Malpractice Specialist—3 in Tennessee                         0 in Chattanooga

M.  Medical Malpractice Specialist—16 in Tennessee                   0 in Chattanooga

N.   Social Security Specialist—13 in Tennessee                           3 in Chattanooga

            Chattanooga has over 1,200 practicing attorneys.  The overwhelming majority of them are perfectly capable of handling your case without you having to hire a specialist who is suggesting that getting that designation makes them better qualified to be your attorney.

            It is an acceptable method of soliciting your business but it does not guarantee any better results than a non-certified attorney.

            Talk to several attorneys before you make a selection to handle a legal matter.

 

We encourage you to buy local products and hire local, reputable attorneys! 

Lawyer Advertising Is Not Free!

Ever since attorney John McMahan left the insurance defense firm of Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan and started using the phrase “The Insider,” the social media outlets have gained a steadily increasing source of revenue from attorneys.

            The origin of John’s use of the appealing self-proclaimed title was created by local talk show host Jeff Styles who was also working for an ad agency.  The name “Insider” has been purchased from John by two associates in his firm when he retired to Florida because of a serious illness.  They have become one of the three or four largest advertisers in the Chattanooga area.

            For some time, few lawyers engaged in any competition with John as many clung to the now antiquated idea that lawyer advertising was beneath the dignity of the legal profession.

            The Chattanooga television, radio, print, and website markets are being overwhelmed with the never ending competition for the right to represent the injured, maimed, or deceased in any type of accident.

            Tennessee’s weak non-solicitation rule of no contact with an injured person for thirty days after the date of the accident is easily circumvented.  Law firms without mentioning the specific accident put articles on their websites informing the public of their self-proclaimed expertise in that particular accident area.  Another firm suddenly appeared in television and billboard ads on the top of a tractor-trailer shortly after a fatal accident in the Ooltewah area that occurred on June 25, 2015, and resulted in six deaths.

            The 2016 advertising revenue in Chattanooga by Kantar Media lists the following numbers spent on lawyer advertising with that agency by the top seven law firms:

 

 

1.     Wettermark & Keith (Birmingham, Alabama)             $1,125,600.00

2.     McMahan (The Insiders)                                            $936,400.00

3.     Charles Pittman (Huntsville, Alabama)                       $762,900.00

4.     Massey & Associates (Got to get Gary)                     $423,600.00

5.     Warren & Griffin (Best Law Firm?)                           $300,200.00

6.     Eron Epstein (Bankruptcy)                                          $281,400.00

7.     Thomas Bible (Bankruptcy)                                        $250,200.00

(THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE MONEY SPENT ON OTHER SOCIAL FORMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADVETISING!)

            Another fifty (50) law firms locally or out-of-state used Kantar Media’s services to advertise in the Chattanooga market.  Said numbers do not reflect any additional funds spent on other areas of social media not handled by Kantar Media.

            Obviously advertising works.  It gets the attention of those exposed to its message.  The lacking piece of the advertising puzzle is that these ads do not in any way address the legal ability and results achieved except in self-laudatory language by the lawyers, professional actors, or clients who have had their cases settled.

            There are over 1,200 lawyers in the Chattanooga area.  Many are capable of handling the cases solicited by the advertising attorneys.  We recommend that you confer with several law firms before you choose to entrust an attorney with a matter that may greatly affect your legal rights. 

Hire Local Attorneys

Merchants in the southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia markets are always urging the public to “Buy Local.”

            Whether you are referring to buying produce, tangible goods such as an automobile or hiring a law firm to represent the legal interest of you or a loved one, the same principle should apply.

            There are between 1,000-1,500 attorneys within a fifty mile radius of Chattanooga.

            The vast majority of them do not claim to be “Board Certified,” “Experts” in tractor trailer or motorcycle or asbestos cases and represent that they have obtained a certain amount of money for their clients in settlements (few of the social media advertisers even claim to have won a big judgment in a jury trial).

            Local attorneys likewise do not have expensive advertising budgets that they have to pay for such as radio, television, website, billboard, telephone book and other forums of advertisements in the social media.

            Yet that same majority of local lawyers are certainly capable of resolving your case just as well as the self-appointed advertising superstars!

            A war is going on between the local and out-of-state advertising law firms.  They are spending larger amounts to compete with their competition.

            Ask yourself the following questions before you select a law firm to represent you in a case:

1.     Does the size of their advertising budget cause the law firm to settle your case for less than full value?

2.     Are they really qualified to handle your case with a record of jury verdicts going up against tough and well financed lawyers that represent insurance companies?

3.     Discuss your case with a local lawyer that doesn’t advertise on radio, television, or billboards.

            Talk to several local attorneys before you select one to handle your case.  Do not commit to signing a contract of employment before you hire an attorney.