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Consumer Alert--Tread Cautiously With the Lawyer Directory Websites

By Ben Glass

An email sent today to lawyers across the country should cause consumers use extreme due-diligence when searching for a lawyer on the Internet.

DUI1.com, a very popular and highly ranked (in Google) website solicits people who have been charged with drinking while driving and who are looking for a lawyer to defend them.

Their site says:

If you're charged with a Driving While Intoxicated offense, it's possible to have your charges dismissed with the assistance of a skilled DWI legal counselor. You must act NOW! Click on a state and then county or city to locate a fully qualified drunk driving defender or use our easy search to locate a defender via county, city or zip code.

But, in an email sent to thousands of lawyers across the United States today, they solicited lawyers to sign up to be one of their fully qualified drunk driving defenders.

Know what their stated qualifications were to let a lawyer represent you?

Here's the text:

Do Your Know How to Plead a Client Guilty? If Yes, You Are a Qualified DUI Lawyer. DUI1.com will run TV ads nationally this 4th of July weekend and all 6 major US holidays. You can see the ad here or visit the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpFK4wWgkxY . While we are the Number 1 result on Google for DUI related term, we remain committed to increasing our member's case loads and set a new standard in DUI Defense. Over 99% of DUI cases are pled before going to trial. This makes DUI Defense one of the most lucrative areas of the criminal defense practice. At DUI Defenders we remain committed to producing results for our members.

(The actual full email is here....read it if you don't believe me.)

Ok, so they can run a business and get lawyers to pay fees to be a member of their website. The teaching point for consumers is that you better look a little closer than the fancy copy on the website! For example, Richmond, Virginia attorney Bob Battle has written a book for DUI defendants in Virginia that explains just what questions you need to ask your lawyer. DUIAnswer.com, another lawyer directory, offers free books that explain the process and the questions you should be asking.

I've written a book for consumers, the Truth About Lawyer Advertising. Its available at Amazon.com

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ben Glass

Full post as published by Northern Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer on June 25, 2008 (boomark / email).