Since 2001 Findgreatlawyers.com has been the leading internet resource to find Illinois lawyers and Illinois legal information

One thing we never do is solicit a potential client. In other words, as attorneys we are barred by law from approaching someone that we don’t know or someone that hasn’t contacted us and trying to make them our client. This too often happens by Illinois personal injury lawyers who are tipped off about serious injuries that have occurred from car accidents or other incidents that may result in a wrongful death lawsuit. Many of these scummy Illinois law firms illegally pay finders fees to police officers and hospital workers who tip them off about cases. Others hear about cases on the news and send staff to go solicit the family. It is wrong and illegal and should serve as a warning to anyone that is approached by these unethical attorneys. If your lawyer will risk their law license by soliciting you as a client and prey on your tragedy then do you really think that they are going to be looking out for you when it comes to handling your case? The answer is clearly no. If they sell out their morals they would sell out their client to make a buck. We never knowingly recommend an attorney that gets clients this way.

Some lawyers try to get around Illinois ethics rules by mailing a letter offering their services. There is a loop-hole in the law that says if you put "lawyer advertisement" on the envelope that you aren’t really soliciting. This is a tactic that many criminal attorneys and traffic lawyers in Illinois use. They pay local police stations for copies of arrest records and then send those defendants a letter offering to represent them. It also occurs a lot by real estate lawyers, especially in Chicago, who pay mortgage companies for lists of their new clients. We don’t care that these law firms have used a loop hole to get around Illinois ethics rules. It’s wrong, plain and simple and in our opinion it’s a sign of a bad attorney and a warning sign to the people that they are targeting. This does not mean that these attorneys couldn’t do a good job, but we believe it is a terrible reflection of their character.

So what should you do if an Illinois law firm solicits you?

1. Refuse to hire them. This is the only way to stop this bad behavior.
2. If a lawyer or their staff makes an unsolicited call or visit to you, report that law firm to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. This organization is responsible for disciplining lawyers that violate attorney ethics laws and have the power to take away the law license of any attorney in Illinois.
3. Seek out a law firm that has built their success based on the recommendations of past clients, the quality of their work and referrals from other lawyers. If you need help in finding that type of firm then contact us.

There are more than 80,000 people with Illinois law licenses and approximately 60,000 of them are physically in Illinois and practicing law. Based on those numbers it certainly makes sense that there are some bad attorneys out there, but the good news is that there are also many good ones who would never risk their career or morals by getting a client in an unethical manner. Please call us at (312) 346-5320 if you have any legal questions or would like a recommendation of reputable Illinois law firms.