From Our Readers
| Jurisdiction | Colorado,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 17 No. 9 Pg. 1782 |
| Pages | 1782 |
| Publication year | 1988 |
1988, September, Pg. 1782. From Our Readers
I read with considerable interest your [John Cogswell's] letter to the editor in the May, 1988 edition of The Colorado Lawyer [at page 830].
Although I am a firm believer in lawyer advertising and consumer rights regarding competitive pricing of legal services, certain recent events have led me to believe that the use of trade names is an option which should not be available.
Recently in Boulder we have had advertising in the Yellow Pages utilizing trade names. A lawyer, in order to be first in the lsitings of lawyers has advertised himself as "A Bankruptcy Attorney." This allowed his name which begins with a "Z" to be placed first under the listings of the lawyers. In addition, another lawyer here in town utilizes his first name first in the lawyer advertising section. I believe that allowing the continued use of trade names will result in a disintegrating cycles of professionalism. Specifically I expect next year to see in the Yellow Pages someone advertised as "AA Bankruptcy Attorney," next we will find AAA and so on, until we as lawyers appear the same as all the bail bondsmens ads we have ever seen.
I understand there is a fine line to be drawn between the rights of lawyers and consumers to useful inforamtion in choosing appropriate representation; however I believe that the use of trade names is a Pandora's Box which we need not open in order to protect the rights of the consuming public.
Sincerely yours,
Barton S. Balis, Esq.
Boulder, Colorado
I refer to the article "Legislative Action Report" by Katherine J. Cox, appearing in Vol. 17. No. 7, The Colorado Lawyer [July, 1988], and specifically...
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