Advertising by lawyers has long been controversial, with detractors saying it cheapens the profession and proponents asserting that ads foster competition and help educate people about their options, according to a Wall Street Journal article. In Florida, requests for bar approval of ads have increased by about 30% in the past seven years, to more than 3,000 last year.

I agree that lawyer advertising has cheapened our profession. In Florida, it’s been out of control for quite a while. Everywhere you turn from TV and radio to billboards and the yellow pages “there’s another ad for a personal injury lawyer.

Not only has excessive lawyer advertising negatively impacted our profession, it also is affecting our clients. During jury selection before a trial even begins, personal injury lawyers often have to overcome a negative impression solely because of all the lawyer advertising. Our firm is strongly opposed to advertising. We prefer to get our clients the old fashioned way: by earning a good reputation for the work we do and developing strong relationships with our peers and others in the community.

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