ADA: Advertising Makes the Man Edition
Spending lots of money on the web advertising yourself as a “DWI Lawyer” when you have taken only six criminal cases, only four of which were DWI cases (PDF) — and have never handled one to completion — in your home county in the three years you’ve been licensed is not quite enough, by itself, to win you an Asshat Lawyer of the Day Award.
Claiming to have “14 satellite offices” when what you in fact have is an arrangement with an executive suite with 14 branches is not quite enough either.
All of that puts you securely into the camp of “lawyers who give lawyers a bad name,” but that’s not quite enough to win you an ADA; I’m a tough grader on the ADA scale.
What puts Houston “Bankruptcy and DWI” lawyer Jason Sughrue over the top for today’s award is that he told one (soon to be ex-) of his four DWI clients that he would try to get her deferred adjudication probation. Deferred adjudication hasn’t been available for DWI in Texas since about 1984. Oh, and he also told her that when she admitted having one beer on video, “it was like she stuck a knife in her own side” because she admitted drinking. Now, that sounds to me like a lawyer who a) doesn’t know what he’s doing; b) knows it; and c) is trying to pressure his client to plead guilty.
Jason Sughrue’s partner in his efforts to separate unwitting citizens-accused from their hard-earned money, GetLegal.com, with the assist.
(By the way, is it “2 to 5 lawyers” or “Jason Sughrue is the sole attorney“? I guess it depends who’s asking.)
About The Author
Darn good looking fella, though.
Is it a coincidence that you used the letters “ADA” for the award? I was confused at first thinking you were talking about Assistant District Attorneys.
If you went back to “ALDA” for the Asshat LAWYER of the Day Award, then I would only be confused with the actor who played Hawkeye Pierce on MASH.
Most lawyers give lawyers a bad name. That’s what makes the reputation so well deserved.
How many lawyer jokes do you know? None. They’re all true.
It’s those few bad lawyers who ruin it for the other 10%.
AHCL, it’s ADA because it’s not always a lawyer. Some putative lawyers even merit doubt quotes:
A”L”DA.
Rather than have a different award for everyone, they all get ADAs.
I don’t think you have to be a tough grader on this guy and go the extra step. [edit]
[While I don't disagree with the sentiment, I'd like to try to avoid the anonymous namecalling that infests some other Houston criminal justice blogs. ed.]
Yeah, but I bet he charges that coveted “reasonable fee.” Isn’t that what every client really wants?
Point taken, ed.
Mr. B.
Is it 5% or 10% that make up the so-called good?
Mr. Griffith,
An excellent question.
It started at 10%, but fluctuates, trending downard. Right now it’s 3.5%.