Thursday, October 15, 2009

How NOT To Choose A Malpractice Attorney Over The Internet

Recently I visited a local free "listing" website (similar to yellowpages.com) just to make sure our firm was correctly listed on the site. I noticed a link at the top of the site to a another site (something like "malpractice lawyers for you"). Curious as to who this firm was, I clicked on the link. Up popped a law firm that I had never heard of. The firm listed a 1-800 number and listed no address. I was convinced that this was not an Ohio malpractice firm.

So I dug a little further with a Google search and, sure enough, this malpractice firm, advertising in Canton, was really an Oklahoma law firm. Why would an Oklahoma law firm be soliciting Ohio malpractice cases? Simple--to "sign up" the client and attempt to refer the "client" to a competent Ohio malpractice attorney, for the purpose of gaining a referral fee.

Here's the problem with this arrangement. You as the "client" of this firm are now being passed off to another attorney or firm. No doubt you will have no say or input as to whom you'll be passed off to. This is nothing more than a business arrangement. So be careful when you are searching for an Ohio malpractice attorney and land at a site that does not reveal the location of the firm. The old adage of "cutting out the middleman" might apply here...

No comments: