Personal Injury Lawyers: A Few Bad Apples

It’s no secret that trial lawyers, in general, and personal injury lawyers, in particular, have a bad name. We like to believe that this reputation is caused by a few bad apples that really do deserve the name “ambulance chasers.” An undercover story yesterday by WOAI television in San Antonio revealed a situation where one attorney allegedly attempted to circumvent the rules regarding client solicitation.

In Texas, attorneys are prevented from contacting accident victims immediately after a car wreck. This law is designed to limit the “ambulance chasing” that is going on. According to the story, to get around this law, the attorney and chiropractors engaged in a scheme where chiropractors would purchase accident reports and contact accident victims, who were offered free medical treatment. Once at the chiropractors’ offices, the chiropractic staff would have attorneys’ “representatives” in the office ready to sign up the clients. We have heard from others that similar schemes are going on here in Austin and other cities around the state.

To help prevent this loophole, many entities, including many trial lawyers and insurance companies, are requesting legislation that prevents anyone other than parties to wrecks, their insurance companies, and the media from purchasing accident reports until sixty days after the wreck. You can let your legislators know your thoughts on such a proposed law by clicking here.

For more information about personal injury claims, feel free to visit our website.