To our potential clients,

As attorneys, we are members of a time-honored profession that is truly essential to our democratic way of life and protection of the rights and freedoms we enjoy. Not so long ago, citizens believed in lawyers as protectors of the public good. More recently, however, the public has come to view the legal profession with skepticism and, in some cases, disdain.

Studies conducted by the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Missouri Bar, among others, have universally found that lawyer advertising, particularly television advertising, creates a negative public reaction to the legal profession. Sadly, this reaction is created by a very small number of practicing attorneys. The vast majority of attorneys do not advertise on T.V. and, in fact, many oppose it. They recognize the damage that self-promoting, sleazy ads cause to the entire profession.

We agree that such advertising is harmful to our profession and, more importantly, can be misleading to our clients and potential clients. The Iowa Supreme Court had this to say about the dangers of advertising through electronic media,

“Electronic media advertising, when contrasted with printed advertising, tolerates much less deliberation by those at whom it is aimed. Both sight and sound are immediate and can be elusive because, for the listener or viewer at least, in a flash they are gone without a trace. Lost is the opportunity accorded to the reader of printed advertisements to pause, to restudy, and to thoughtfully consider…”.

This is not to say that attorneys should not endeavor to provide legitimate and truthful information to the public so that citizens can make an informed choice about hiring a lawyer. Modern technology offers people more access to this information than ever before. That is why we provide this website. You can read and study it as long as you like so that you can carefully consider the information about our firm and the work that we do.

 More importantly, instead of invading your home through television with information that you neither sought out or need, we provide you this information only if you are searching for it. That is the way it should be.

And please remember, the disclaimers that we include at the bottom of each page are not only required by our ethical rules, but they should always guide you in the choice of an attorney. Choosing an attorney is a very important decision and should not be based on advertising alone, no matter what form it takes.

Thank you for visiting us.

Randy W. James & Associates, P.C.