As a car accident attorney, I am dedicated to protecting people by making everything I have learned as a lawyer easily available for everyone. As a part of this process, I have written numerous books on personal injury law, one of which is titled "The Shocking Truth About Lawyer Advertising." The purpose of this book is to shed light on deceiving lawyer advertising strategies that are still misleading people into hiring the wrong attorney for their case. You can check out my book by going to my website, which is linked at the bottom of this article, but here is a sneak peak on four points that are crucial to look for in lawyer advertising:

1.) The bar exam does not determine what type of lawyer someone is: In order to practice law in a certain state, one must pass the bar exam, but nothing about passing the test determines the type of law someone will practice. As a result, lawyers can hold themselves out to practice any kind of law they want, even if they have no experience in that particular field. Someone can call themselves a personal injury lawyer despite never having actually taken a single injury case. Because of this, it is very important that you research the background of a lawyer before hiring one. Their advertisement might make it seem like they are perfect for your case, but in reality, they may have no clue how to handle it.

2.) Some personal injury lawyers never go to court: One of the more troubling concepts in injury law is that of always wanting to settle a case fast. While it would be nice to end a case early with a nice settlement, lawyers who always settle cases quickly will not be able to get you the money you deserve. Insurance companies have good information on how all personal injury lawyers handle their cases, and if they know that an attorney never goes to court, then there is no incentive for them to provide a reasonable settlement offer. A lot of lawyers brag about their ability to settle cases fast, but they may as well advertise that they let the insurance companies control the process. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this, so some lawyers are still able to convince people to hire them on faulty premises. Just remember that while settling every case fast may sound like something you want, it is not a good thing.

3.) The lawyer you see on TV may not handle your case: You may see a lawyer on television that you believe will be perfect for your case, but before you hire them, make sure they will actually be handling your case. The lawyer you see in an advertisement may very well just hand the majority of their cases off to their paralegals or case managers, and do almost no work on your case. In fact, just because you see a lawyer in an advertisement, there is no guarantee that he or she even works in your area. There is a large firm that does a lot of advertising in Seattle, but the lawyer in their ads doesn't even work in the state of Washington. Always have a skeptical eye when you see a lawyer advertisement, and research their firm before making any decisions on who to hire.

4.) Lawyer advertisements are no indicator of skill: A lawyer advertisement means nothing more than the fact that they could afford to make the advertisement. A fancy advertisement has no correlation to the ability of the firm to defend your case; it simply means that they have money.