You’ve seen the personal injury lawyer commercials before.
They often begin with catchy phrases like, “Injured in an accident?" or "Need a lawyer?”
Those kinds of advertisements are legal ways of soliciting your business. But according to the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, some lawyers are already out on the street looking for you.
It’s a common form of ambulance chasing. It’s a practice now illegal in the state of Connecticut.
“This is a new law that has to get out to the consuming public," said Carter Mario, a personal injury lawyer. "They have to know when they are hurt, don’t get hurt again. Don’t hire someone because they come to your door, or approach you at the accident scene."
As of October 1st, lawyers who hire runners to solicit your business at the scene of an accident, even days later, are now breaking the law.
The practice is still happening everyday in Connecticut, Mario said, especially in the Bridgeport and Waterbury areas.
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Finding a good lawyer can be as easy as picking up the phone, according to the artford County Bar Association.
"The Lawyer Referral Service is a non-profit group of some 200 lawyers in the Hartford County area who give of their time to be available to potential clients who need a lawyer,” said John Bonee, Lawyer Referral Service Chairman.
The service is specifically designed for people who need a lawyer, but don’t know who to call.
“People find it to be a convenient way to get linked up with a lawyer,” said Bonee.
“The public needs to know there are good people out there, said Mario. "There are good lawyers out here. We care about what we’re doing. It wasn’t just to protect our clients, it was to protect the entire state of Connecticut.”
Under the new law, ambulance chasing is a misdemeanor punishable by a $5,000 fine or up to a year in jail.
To contact the Lawyer Referral Service, click here or call (860) 525-6052.
