Law firm Divvy-scare "press release"-- why does this stuff get published?

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 20, 2014 at 12:24pm

Carefully (slimefully) worded such that it can not be disproven.

"Oh, we meant disproportionately low..."
 
Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Bicycles have long been involved in a disproportionate percentage of traffic accidents.

They have? Since when? I'm fairly certain that the vast majority of collisions involve one or more cars, and not people riding bikes.

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Permalink Reply by El Dorado on January 20, 2014 at 1:32pm

Lawyers get a bad rap. They hold accountability for big corporations who think they can get away with anything. Personally, I think Divvy should require riders to wear a helmet.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on January 21, 2014 at 9:39pm

I am currently representing a few bicyclists who were injured while riding a Divvy. In each instance, a motorist is at fault for the bike crash and resultant injuries. The Divvy itself had nothing to do with the crash. Brendan is correct that due to a recent big settlement many PI lawyers think that they can "tie in" Divvy if the rider isn't wearing a helmet. I personally do not see the merit in that argument. There is no law requiring helmets and Divvy riders assume the risk like anyone on any other kind of bike if they don't wear a helmet. I ride Divvy all the time and am a big supporter of the program.

As for lawyers advertising, like all things in life there are different ways to go about it. There have been a few things in the past couple of years that I had a really hard time biting my tongue on as I found the advertising/public relations stunts to be opportunistic pandering. This digital journal press release is far from the worst. But I know that reacting to some of the stuff recently would not be productive and would only serve to give more attention to it which I'd rather not do.

As for me, I regularly advertise that I'm a "bike lawyer." I advertise here on the Chainlink where I'm one of the original advertisers. It always brings a smile to my face when I see one of the Chicago Bike Flag stickers or patches or t-shirts around Chicago. The reality is I'm an attorney who focuses my practice on bicycle related cases that result in personal injuries. And I'm proud of it. I'm more proud of being a "bike lawyer" than any other thing I've done in my life professionally.

I like to think that my sincere interest in serving the bike community speaks for itself. I feel that as long as I continue to provide riders the best possible legal help when they need it, continue to advocate for bicycling, and be personally passionate about bicycling, my work will speak for itself and any advertising I do is taken in the spirit its intended. Ride Safe. -MSK

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