We must all be desparate for business. What else explains the email I received this morning that somehow made it throw my spam filter:
We have communicated with the company whom is customers of ours in your state
in regards to merging, we like to merge with the company to increase revenue,
market share, and cross-selling opportunities.
We would like to retain you to help us in the process to review proposed transactions
for acquisitions or purchase of businesses, and creation of contracts for acquisition (merger),
if you are interested please advise us on your initial retainer fee and agreement and
we shall forward you the company informationand letter of intent. if this is not
your practice please pass it on to the appropriate attorney
Best Regards
Kunio yamada
yamada.kunio@yahoo.com
Chairman and ceo Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
1-8-1 Tasumi-nishi, ikuno-ku,
Osaka 544-8666
I guess this must work with someone somewhere. I suppose we lawyers, particularly M&A lawyers, are vulnerable to this kind of thing. But how exactly is this supposed to work? What? The Chairman and CEO of Rohto is writing emails to random law professors on his Yahoo account? Doesn't Rohto have its own email system? Also, you'd think a big international company like his would have their own lawyers? Why does he write e-mails without punctuation?
I find it interesting that lawyers now seem to be getting this kind of specific attention from spammers. It used to just be Nigerian princes… Must be something about us.
Anyway, Rao and Reiley have a good paper on the Economics of Spam for those of you who, like me, are fascinated by this.
-bjmq
UPDATE: Oh! We lawyers are suckers! See here. Word to the wise. (h/t JLL)