In Texas, a troubling legal tactic is drawing renewed scrutiny: barratry, the illegal solicitation of accident victims by lawyers or their agents commonly called “ambulance-chasing.”
According to a recent investigation by The Dallas Morning News, “Ambulance chasing is rampant in Texas but can be difficult to prove with degrees of separation between lawyers and intermediaries used to engage with crash victims.”
“While it’s illegal for attorneys or their proxies to initiate contact with potential clients within 30 days of an accident,” the newspaper writes, “state disciplinary rules allow lawyers to pay online services to refer clients seeking help. With no direct oversight by the state bar, tactics of lead generators can become tangled in allegations of barratry.”
With weak enforcement and a lead-generator industry that is lightly regulated, the result is summed up by a personal injury lawyer in the same article who states: “It’s a bigger problem now than it’s ever been. It is rampant.”
Why does it matter?
As the Dallas Morning News article notes, Texans could feel pressured to hire a lawyer who is “harvesting cases for quick payouts instead of fighting for the best outcome.”
Ambulance chasing is a serious consumer-protection issue in Texas. Unless regulators step up oversight of lead-generation practices and the intermediaries feeding lawyers cases, the problem is likely to not only continue but to grow.
If you need to hire a lawyer, take a look at our Legal Consumer Guide for tips on making the choice that is right for you.
