I am a criminal defense attorney. I’m not a marketing genius or a website expert. I have often wondered how much time some of my competitors must spend on their websites. I have often wondered how much money they spend on advertising. I have often wondered if their reviews are real and if their results are honest.
I was just talking to one of the larger internet resources for lawyers about advertising with them. Their sales rep was walking me through what I could buy from them when he told me that one Los Angeles lawyer has both of the “Platinum” spots for criminal defense and DUI lawyers in Los Angeles. I looked at his ad and noticed it said “Harvard Law Educated”. I then looked at the State Bar website and noticed that he didn’t graduate from Harvard Law. His website says he attended law school elsewhere and “completed” his legal studies at Harvard.
This is a guy who is a former district attorney with a great pedigree. He went to a great undergrad and a great law school. He has lots of experience as a former D.A. Why would he write something on his advertising material like he did? Clearly, it’s an attempt to impress the reader. Is it technically a true statement? Probably. Is it clearly intended to misrepresent where he went to law school? It’s my opinion that this is the case. I could be wrong, but that’s what I believe.
But that’s not the real problem for me. The real problem is that this conduct calls into question anything and everything else I read on his ads or his website. Are his reviews real? Are his results real? I hope so, but I simply don’t know. Frankly, I don’t care either.
I get internet sales people calling my office or emailing almost every day. AVVO, Justia, Yelp, and many more less credible sites or sales people. My favorites are the ones that call from a VOIP line with a local area code and a real sounding caller ID name so that I answer the phone. I also really like the ones that start the conversation by trying to portray an actual client in need of legal services. I normally suggest to them that misrepresentation is not a good way to start a new business relationship. That usually ends the conversation rather quickly.
I’m still not sure how or why people find me on the internet. But I am sure of a few things. I am sure that I wrote every blog on my website. I am sure that every result on my website is an actual result for an actual client. I am sure that every published review is by an actual client or the family member of a client. I am sure that I went to UC Riverside for undergrad and the University of LaVerne for law school. By the way, Forbes just ranked UCR in the top ten in the country for low profile, high value colleges.
If you want low profile, high value and no bullshit, you can call me:
Attorney Jeffrey Vallens (818) 783-5700 or
Email me at: vallenslaw@yahoo.com or visit my sites for more information: