Many of you know my stance on lawyer advertising; that is, I dislike it and would like to see it banned in our profession.  One of the many negatives of lawyer advertising is that non-local lawyers advertise in local markets; for example, a Miami lawyer advertises with Tampa TV commercials.  Every client should be very cautious when the lawyer is from somewhere else.

Quite simply, it is not reasonable that a Miami auto accident attorney is going to aggressively represent a client in Tampa.  It is a far distance and the Miami lawyer simply cannot dedicate the time and resources, in most cases, to a client who is several hours away.  The insurance companies know that the lawyer is not going to travel several hours for every court hearing and will use that to make a low offer to settle.  The insurance companies know that a Miami lawyer is not going to litigate aggressively in Tampa.  To make matters even worse, the Miami lawyer is not familiar with the Tampa courts, the local judges, and the local rules.  That, however, does not stop lawyers from far away from advertising in Tampa.

The standard method is to have a, “satellite” office.  Remember, that the lawyer’s main office is somewhere else, like Miami.  That means that the local office staffed by a secretary or paralegal and the attorney visits once or twice a month.  The attorney can’t be in two places at once, so the majority of his attention is at his main office leaving the Tampa clients as secondary.

There are some clear signs that your lawyer is not a local lawyer and is from Miami, Orlando, or Brandenton.  1)  Does the lawyer have a rented, “suite” with a small office shared by many different companies? 2) Is the office manager or paralegal the only one who is always available?  3)  Is the lawyer only available at certain times of the month?

Ask these questions of the lawyer:  1)  In what city is your home located? 2)  How many lawsuits have you filed in Tampa? 3)  How many times a week are you, personally, in the Tampa office?  4) Where is your main office?  Once you ask these questions you will be able to determine if the lawyer is indeed local and can deal with your case personally.

While a Florida lawyer can practice in any Florida State Court, it is not practical for a lawyer to travel all over the state.  There are cases that require travel, but generally, those are few and specialized in most auto accident cases.  While advertising statewide is very easy, professionally representing clients statewide is not.  You are far better off with a local lawyer who can personally attend to your case.