Why advertising can be important for law firms — and their clients
Posted On February 22, 2020
If you drive in Alabama or watch TV or listen to the radio, you have seen or heard an advertisement for a personal injury lawyer. They’re everywhere – on billboards, on the sides of buses, in newspapers and magazines, maybe even embedded beneath the lacquer on the tables in a favorite restaurant.
Why are these types of ads effective? What’s the difference between such advertising, which is legal for attorneys to do, and solicitation, which isn’t?
Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” shared some answers to these questions. David Greene is the founder and CEO of the Greene & Phillips law firm, a prominent personal injury firm in Mobile that is also a major advertiser in variety of formats.
Greene started his working life in sales and later owned a landscaping business, two lines of work that often rely on solicitation. He agrees that solicitation is improper for a law practice, but advertising is different.
“I believe it’s absolutely necessary to get the word out,” he said. “I look it as a public service for people that just do not know lawyers. I look at it, too, as it helps to level the playing field for the little guy.”
Despite technological advances designed to make our world safer, including enhanced safety features in automobiles, accidents still happen. And while most people have insurance to help guard against the medical expenses that could arise from an accident, Greene says firms like his play an important role in ensuring their clients receive prompt and fair compensation.
Greene shares the difference between a claim that’s actionable and one that isn’t, how worker’s compensation works, why his most effective form of advertising is still word of mouth, and how his Christian faith plays a role in a job that often has him working with people in the midst of tragedy.
“I think you have to have a strong faith, because if you didn’t I don’t know how I could make it in doing what I do,” he said. “You have to see good in everything. We try to do that. Some days are tougher than others.”
Join us for a frank discussion about personal injury law and advertising, and stick around at the end of the show for a special guest commentary from David Webb on the importance of maintaining a positive digital personality.