APR 2019
HARMONSON HEADLINES
YOUR GUIDE TO PERSONAL INJURY IN THE BORDERLAND
WHY I CHOOSE TO BE A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER Giving Back to Our Community
“Ambulance chaser!” People sometimes snicker when I tell them I am a personal injury lawyer. Somewhere along the line, the idea of the lawyer being a trusted advisor has gone the way of the dodo bird. Instead of Atticus Finch, the stereotypical lawyer is short on scruples and long on bull. Why is that? This wild perception of lawyers has to do with the blitz of misleading advertising that inundates our
know that answer, you need to go back many years to my childhood. My family did not grow up rich. My dad was a serial entrepreneur. He owned several businesses, including a skating rink (as cool as you think) and a used car lot. He was always hustling, and his kids weren’t dropped off to play golf at the country club on the weekend. To make ends meet, Dad worked nights at a bingo hall. I started selling bingo markers at the hall at 16 and paid my way through college until I got my first “real job.” You meet a lot of different people at the bingo hall, and boy do I have some stories. We got to meet a lot of interesting people growing up, from pretty college girls at the skating rink to gruff but loveable grease monkeys at the used car lot to little old ladies at the bingo hall. I learned so much from the people I interacted with growing up. My early experiences gave me a deep appreciation and affection for people from all walks of life. When I went to law school, my goal was to make it big, become a corporate lawyer, and live the good life. I pursued that dream and succeeded. I was hired by one of the largest and most prestigious firms in Texas. I joined the country club. I bought an Audi, for God’s sake. But deep down, I knew my heart was meant to help real people with real problems. Personal injury law is the perfect vehicle for me to help the same kinds of people that populated my youth. Every week, I meet new people who need a hand after they have been injured through no fault of their own. These people — my people — aren’t greedy or out for a quick buck. My people need help dealing with real injuries, pain, suffering, and all of the legal confusion they are going through after an accident. I have dedicated my career honing my skills so that I can help my people get through this tough time in their lives.
lives through television ads, billboards, and internet marketing. The competition for personal injury clients is fierce. Today, lawyers spend $900 million or more in television advertising each year. Since 2008, there has been a 70 percent increase in lawyer television advertising, a figure that far outpaces other industries and professions. The undisputed heavyweight champion of lawyer advertising is the personal injury lawyer. In the hysteria to get injury clients, some personal injury lawyers simply yell louder and more obnoxiously than the competition in their quest for new clients. Trust of lawyers is at an all-time low. Lawyers are one of the least trusted professions, ranking just above car salespeople. A recent Forbes poll found that only 18 percent of U.S. adults feel that lawyers have high honest, ethical standards.
Why, then, would a nice young man like myself choose to become a personal injury lawyer about 15 years ago? To
“MY EARLY EXPERIENCES GAVE ME A DEEP APPRECIATION AND AFFECTION FOR PEOPLE FROMALL WALKS OF LIFE.”
Continued on pg. 3 ...
915.584.8777 • 1
clarkharmonsonattorney.comMade with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online