What are “Billboard Lawyers”?
While personal injury attorneys have been referred to figuratively as “Ambulance Chasers,” they are now often associated with the flashy billboards. So-called “Billboard Lawyers” make their money based on volume, or the quantity of their clients, not the quality of their results. Most settle cases with minimal effort and will undervalue your case, settling for far less than what it is worth or should be obtained. Their mantra is to sign up the “next case,” NOT get the “top dollar.”
Insurance companies make it their business to know whether the attorney they are dealing with has the experience and financial wherewithal to maximize a case’s value. They are in the business of paying the least amount they can to settle your claim and will take full advantage of an inexperienced attorney. Often, they are not even negotiating with an attorney, but with a paralegal or clerk, as "Billboard Lawyers" will opt to use these inexpensive alternatives to attorneys. The insurance adjuster can confidently make a “lowball offer,” knowing who they are dealing with and that any threat of trial is a bluff. So, in the end, the insurance carrier wins, and you receive less than what you are entitled to.
How is JRG Different from Billboard Lawyers?
The “best” or highest settlement (or verdict) takes experience to create and negotiate a case’s maximum value. You will not find any JRG lawyer on a billboard or one who is simply a “personal injury attorney.” "Personal injury" is a type of case within the larger legal specialty known as “litigation.” Our attorneys are litigators and are experienced trial attorneys who handle all types of cases, including personal injury. JRG attorneys are confident and competent enough to take a case to trial if that is what is needed to obtain the “best” result for their client.
We are not just “claiming” to be the “Best”; we ARE the best. A JRG attorney obtained the largest personal injury verdict in Monterey County history after a 5-week trial against “big city” insurance defense attorneys. In that case, the insurance company attorneys offered $3 million, expecting the amount to be so significant that JRG would not walk away from it and go to trial. They were knowledgeable about the ability of the JRG attorney, yet they underestimated him and did not believe his threat of trial to be real. Prepared and confident in knowing his case was worth much more, the JRG attorney took the case to trial. The jury awarded JRG’s client $12.6 million, four times what was offered. This would not have happened if the client had been represented by a Billboard Lawyer, whose lack of trial experience would have left them with no choice but to accept the $3 million, leaving almost $10 million on the table.
JRG Attorneys at Law are proud to have some of the Central Coast’s best and most experienced trial attorneys, who can handle any case, including personal injury. They are not afraid to go to trial when the risk is justified.
The reality is, what makes an attorney #1 or the “Best,” is not the size of a billboard, a clever nickname, or exaggerations of ability, but the experience and quality of the attorney and their support.
If you believe you have a personal injury claim, contact Bob Rosenthal and our litigation department at (831) 228-5619 or fill out a contact form today.