Advertising

• Pages: 7-8

Advertising

Chapter 2

7

The rules of your local bar association will likely govern how you

may advertise your service in your area; the following points may

already be required, but whether they are mandatory or not, they

aregood principles to follow. Good, extremely ethical advertising

helps to establish your reputation as one of the good guys. In your

advertisements directed at struggling homeowners, you should dis-

tinguish yourself from the sharks. For example, if your jurisdiction

permits you to send direct-mail advertisements to homeowners, tell

them how you got their information—through public court filings,

for instance. The homeowner is less likely to feel like someone’s

prey if you let them know you obtained their information through

public records and not in an underhanded manner. Homeowners

should be wary of anyone who asks them to relinquish title to their

house or directs them to sign any kind of contract. Such contracts

will often insulate the consultant or attorney from liability if he or

she is unsuccessful in granting the homeowner a solution, and in

such a case may also leave the borrower exposed to a deficiency

judgment. The sharks usually make offers that seem too good to be

true and appeal to a homeowner’s emotions rather than logic.

You should then makeclear to your prospective clients that you,

like any other attorney, cannot guarantee a result to anyone. It is

now virtually common knowledge that no loan solution, or any

result in litigation, for that matter,is guaranteed. The rules of the