My family and I recently got back from a short trip to visit Death Valley Natl. Park and the Hoover Dam, both of which were amazing and well worth visiting.
One thing my wife and I noticed was that there were a LOT of personal injury attorney billboards in Las Vegas. As in it seemed like every third billboard was for an ambulance chaser, there were a LOT of billboards, and that there were a LOT of separate attorneys- it seemed like we saw a solid dozen different firms/attorneys advertised. To me, it seemed like about 3x the number of billboards and firms displayed than what I’m used to in Texas.
So what is it about Las Vegas that makes it so attractive to this sort of attorney? I wouldn’t have expected a higher than usual number of that sort of injuries or court cases out there versus anywhere else.
I was curious, so I went poking around on Google. This is what I found.
There are a lot of tourists in Las Vegas, and these tourists spend a lot of time walking around. Some of them slip and fall down.
There are also a lot of car accidents and DUIs in Las Vegas. One thing that really attracts the lawyers though is that Nevada is a “fault” state. In a “no-fault” state, if you get injured, you file a claim with your own insurance company. In a fault state, you sue whoever injured you and force his/her insurance to pay for your injuries and damages. So you need a lawyer.
Las Vegas is a big gambling city, so debt relief and bankruptcy are a bigger issue than in most places.
And it’s clear from at least some of the signs that they’re targeting that demographic. I was there last month, and one sign had a website like “Injured in a hotel dot com” on it. Pretty specific.
I’ve only been to Vegas once, and that was 40 years ago…so here’s my guess:
Vegas attracts a lot of people who fantasize about get-rich-quick schemes, and thus are easy targets for lawyers offering sleazy opportunities.
It’s part of the culture within the legal community. It varies from place to place. Some have almost no billboards, some have quite a few. I’ve heard Florida has a lot of lawyer billboards. Seattle has very few. If your competitor had billboards, you’re more likely to try it too. Conversely, most lawyers don’t want to be the first or second in their area to do it. There is a stigma to “billboard lawyers,” (but “ambulance chaser” is unnecessarily derogatory)
Vegas certainly has a lot. PI lawyers also sponsor local traffic reports on morning TV. I’ve picked juries in Las Vegas. These guys have name recognition. And are mostly thought poorly of. The jurors are quick to offer opinions and remark that they’re glad “you’re not one of those.” At the same time, they get a ton of cases. We call them “mills.” They generally do high volume work, try to get quick settlements, and farm out the really serious cases to lawyers who handle such things (and collect a nice “referral fee”–up to 30% of the total fee). They don’t care about juries hating them, because they practically never see a jury. Some are bad lawyers but good marketers. Some are good lawyers.
Short answer, it works. And in some places the stigma in the bar isn’t an obstacle they worry about it.
I noticed the same thing last time I was in Vegas. I’m guessing that due to alcohol and tourist rubbernecking there are a lot of fender benders on the Strip that turn into, “OW! My neck!”
Didn’t it used to be illegal for lawyers to advertise? I can’t remember if that was by state or nationwide, but that could have something to do with it.
Not necessarily “illegal,” from the standpoint of state or federal laws, but most (if not all) state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, had rules or codes of conduct which prohibited lawyers from most forms of advertising. In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, struck down such bans as unconstitutional.
I laugh at the Phx billboards so much. They almost are all booze, pot, lawyers and Gawd. I’d probably need all of those things if I lived in Phx, so I get it, but it still entertains me.
I’ve noticed this, more than once, as I’ve driven along Interstate 294 (the Tri-State Tollway), from my home in the western suburbs of Chicago, towards the Indiana state line. The closer one gets to Indiana, the higher the percentage of billboards from:
Personal injury attorneys
“Gentlemen’s clubs”
Casinos
Fireworks stores (several of which are just beyond the border, and clearly cater to Illinois residents)
It’s like northwestern Indiana is a sadder, drabber, Rust Belt version of Vegas.
Can we find another term please? I’m honestly not thin skinned about this, but it is my profession. Even if it’s the sleazier part of my profession. I’m trying to think of another profession we slur around here. Maybe Fox News anchors.
They’re “trial lawyers” or “Personal Injury attorneys” or even “advertising lawyers.” They have a Constitutional right to advertise (so says the US Supreme Court). I’m not a fan, but I wouldn’t call them ambulance chasers.
When my SIL fell on uneven pavement exiting her bank and breaking an ankle, she was in excruciating pain. She laughed, however when the first person to approach her handed her his business card. He was a personal injury attorney.
