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Drawing from Beinecke Library (License link: CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Insurance Journal recently reported the story of a client solicitation and kickback scheme involving several Florida attorneys. The arrested Florida attorneys were charged with paying solicitors for clients and then arranging kickbacks from medical providers. It’s an awful scheme that harms people who are genuinely hurt and need counsel. And, it’s a black eye to both the legal and medical professions.
Every day, I hear the stories of people who are genuinely hurt and need help. Injured people already face struggles — problems with medical care, sudden expenses, potential job loss, the loss of their vehicle, and sometimes, long-term pain or disability. It’s a big list of real worries. Injured people already face an uphill battle against insurance companies who sow the seeds of false doubt at every stage.
I value my clients and my profession as a trial lawyer. That’s why I regularly write about lawyers who wrongly diminish the practice. You know who those lawyers are — the ones wearing capes on television, smiling from billboards or ridiculously promising they can accomplish miracles if you just hire them. We even have a Huntsville attorney promising he has the lawyer for you no matter your problem. He doesn’t. But, he does like to refer clients to outside, real lawyers for his own profit. He has a secret deal benefitting himself over hurting people.
Lawyer misconduct in the solicitation of accident victims is not limited to Florida. We have plenty of bad practices that should be stopped in Alabama. What are a few of these bad practices or bad actors?
If you are hurt, you need a real lawyer with both the expertise and the desire to prepare fully your claim. How do you distinguish a true legal expert from the settlement mill lawyers populating billboards and television commercials? In a world of advertising hype and promises, it can be difficult. I’ve written about Huntsville’s local billboard lawyers previously. I’ve also written about car accident settlement mill law firms in general. Here are a couple good articles by other attorneys providing tips for hiring a skilled personal injury attorney:
If you need help, talk to friends and family you trust. Research your options. Avoid any lawyer who spends his/her time on television or billboards rather than talking about real legal issues. Look for an attorney who specializes in personal injury (and not criminal law or a general practice area). The impact upon your claim can be tremendous.