# Those Lawyers That Advertise On Late-Night TV: Is It Beneficial To Use Them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-lawyers-that-advertise-on-late-night-tv-is-it-beneficial-to-use-them/777145 "2017-01-14T19:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-lawyers-that-advertise-on-late-night-tv-is-it-beneficial-to-use-them/777145/1 "2017-01-14T19:24:26Z")
Let’s say I really, truly, actually _have_ suffered in some tangible way from taking Xarelto or some other drug. There are these commercials that say "If you took Xarelto and suffered [list of ailments], call now! You may be entitled to compensation…: If I call them, can I actually expect some money? Am I likely to wind up with pennies while the law firm takes 90 percent? Or are they going to keep taking my money little by little, with promises of a big payoff at the end, until I realize I’m being screwed and walk away more broke than I was to begin with? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-lawyers-that-advertise-on-late-night-tv-is-it-beneficial-to-use-them/777145/2 "2017-01-14T19:31:41Z")
It’s a good question. In my opinion, if you have actually been seriously injured by something, you’re probably better off finding a reputable lawyer near you who handles such cases. On the other hand, many of these nationally advertising firms basically just refer the cases back to a lawyer near you and share the fee, and some of them do actually have good experience and expertise in certain areas. There’s no harm in calling, getting a meeting with a lawyer, and _then_ deciding if you want to retain them or not. Once you get a name of the actual lawyer in your state that will be doing the work, do a little research (on line or otherwise) and try to get an idea of the lawyer’s practice and reputation. If you know a lawyer in any field, you can ask that person for a recommendation too. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-lawyers-that-advertise-on-late-night-tv-is-it-beneficial-to-use-them/777145/3 "2017-01-14T19:32:15Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Let’s say I really, truly, actually _have_ suffered in some tangible way from taking Xarelto or some other drug. There are these commercials that say "If you took Xarelto and suffered [list of ailments], call now! You may be entitled to compensation…: > > If I call them, can I actually expect some money? **Am I likely to wind up with pennies while the law firm takes 90 percent?** Or are they going to keep taking my money little by little, with promises of a big payoff at the end, until I realize I’m being screwed and walk away more broke than I was to begin with? These are class action lawsuits. They get whatever share they contract for, the remainder is divided up among the “victims”. What gets me are the number of these things targeting the very reason the drug is taken for.