Note to Lawyers Who Advertise: Don't Compare Yourselves to Animals

In Florida, the bar authorities are cracking down on over-the-top legal advertising, including some ads from a firm that compares itself to a popular breed of dog and has a phone number to match: 1-800-PIT-BULL. The details are in an article from the Miami Daily Business Review, courtesy of Law.com--

Chandler & Pape, which continues to use the pit bull image in ads, letterhead, envelopes, business cards and T-shirts, defends the image. "The American pit bull terrier is an animal that engenders the principles that characterize our law firm: strength, tenacity and loyalty," John Pape wrote in an Aug. 27, 2003, letter to the Bar. "As such, the logo speaks to the issues of integrity and whether we will zealously represent our clients."

It sounds like an intelligent use of metaphor to me. But there's no question that some lawyers are making themselves look like boobs with their silly ads. Although I can't think of any examples in the St. Louis area, a lawyer from a very aggressive plaintiffs' firm in Texas was recently complaining to me that some of the legal advertising in his area was tasteless and embarrassing.

Plaintiffs' lawyers complaining about lawyer ads--it's how you can know for sure that some lawyers are taking too many liberties with their advertising.

Comments

[Matt Schuh]

I've always found this practice of naming law firms after animals to be pretty funny. I didn't really notice until I went to college in Arizona though when firms like "The Eagle" (Goldberg and Osborne) and The Wolf (can't remember who this was) started showing up on TV.

[Matt]

This post is especially funny for me because the Capital District area in New York has an attorney who goes by the moniker, "The Man." Perhaps he knew that comparisons to animals were gauche.

[OLS]

Unfortunately, this phenomenon has also hit us in Australia. For a case in point - see this ad for a solicitor in Cairns - http://www.shine.com.au/Careers/CairnsSolicitors.pdf

- OLS

[Michael Mason]

alot of guys compare themselves to tools...like the "hammer"