Ploys
The bait-and-switch ploy
The website of one competitor says they have a client satisfaction guarantee. They say if you don’t win, you don’t pay. They say these things on every page of their website. What they don’t say on every page is these promises apply to personal injury cases and never to criminal defense cases. Correction: In 2026 they changed their website to say the promise does not apply to criminal defense matters. Kudos!
The scare-and-save ploy
The website of another competitor all but says that other lawyers stink and that the world is going to end unless you hire them. Then you have a chance. But they can’t back it up with anything but blather. The person at the helm barely takes cases any more. He has mostly young lawyers working for him who do not resemble the seasoned, fierce warriors he portrays online.
The ghostwriting/ai ploy
A lot of law firm websites are full of slop. Could you come up with the same kind of content on your own using an AI chatbot? Is that what they did? Is the content written for you or to game the search engines? Is it done by a lawyer or an internet marketing agency, a master of shuffling content for different crimes, locations, and service areas? Is it hard to tell the difference?
None of that
Why is this happening? We are living in the era of the Wild West when it comes to law firm advertising. It’s pretty much anything goes. Just because a lawyer’s website says it does not make it true. If it sounds to good to be true, be skeptical. If a lawyer can’t prove it, be skeptical. If it sounds like AI, be skeptical. Even if we are that law firm. If you think we are full of it, call us out.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. We’re all human, even lawyers.
These are just factors you should consider when picking a firm. You may disagree or find that other positive qualities are more important to you.
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No, we believe most firms play fair, including most of those on our rankings page. But some don’t.
This page is about the firms that don’t and what they do that is not fair. So you know what to look out for.
Also consider that there may be a difference between the lawyers who lead a firm and those who work there.
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Our remarks underlying the bait and switch headline are facts.
Our remarks underlying the scare-and-save headline are a mixture of opinion and fact.
Our remarks underlying the ghostwriting/ai ploy suggest opinions.
You should try to verify what we are saying and see if you agree.
The headlines themselves are opinions, but we believe in them.
We don’t pretend to know who wrote them or what they were thinking at the time.
We do believe the effect on at least a significant number of people is difficult to argue the other way.
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Put the law firms you are considering through our AI test.
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March 21, 2026.
The information on this page is current through at least that date, which is the date this page was created.
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