Savannah Georgia lawyer Jamie Casino sent a buzz through the legal world last week with this two minute add shown in Savannah during the Super Bowl. According to the ad, Casino used to be the Saul Goodman of Savannah, representing all manor of scumbag criminal defendants.
But when Casino’s brother was tragically murdered and the police chief insinuated that the brother was up to no good, Casino had had enough. It was time to get even.
So what did Casino do to get even with the corrupt police force? Did he dedicate himself to fighting the police force and their corrupt ways? No. Did he run for district attorney so he could clean house? No. Did he run for sheriff like Buford Pusser or the Rock? Nope.
Instead, Casino dedicated himself to fighting…. insurance companies. Because that’s the honorable thing to do when you are mad at someone: go pick on an easier target.
According to one newspaper account, Casino uses the sledgehammer featured in the ad to smash money out of the stingy insurance companies. I bet those insurance defense lawyers and adjusters are just petrified.
Other Casino ads include pro wrestling, throwing fire, and client testimonials.
Legal bloggers were not impressed. Eric Turkewitz discussed his problems with the commercial on his New York Personal Injury Law Blog. Max Kennerly also wasn’t a big fan at his Litigation & Trial Blog.
When I watched the ad, my first thoughts were cynical. But at some point, I asked myself whether an ad like that will work to attract business. I’m inclined to think that it might if it’s seen enough, but that it’s unnecessary.
If you want to see an advertising model that works, look at what Morgan and Morgan has done in Mississippi. In less than 10 years Morgan and Morgan has gone from no lawyers in Mississippi to over ten. The formula has been to carpet bomb with short television ads along with a billboard and internet presence. It looks like the same approach that has worked for Richard Schwartz for years.
So if Casino is after a volume personal injury practice, he might be better off with short commercials with low production costs. But what do I know?
Eventually, I started thinking of Casino’s ad as a statement on the profession and the over saturation of lawyers. The commercial is way over the top. But Casino must feel like that’s what he has to do to compete for business. That kind of makes the commercial scary. Or even sad.
The good news is that at least now Casino’s kid can go to school and hear about how his dad is an ambulance chaser and is trying to run all the nice doctors out of the state instead of a despicable criminal lawyer.