thebitterguy

You know what I love? I love television commercials from US law firms.

Okay, primarily from Buffalo, since that's what you mostly get exposed to when you live in Ontario.

The biggest wow factor is the fact that we don't have the same volume of legal advertisements up here. There's a tax lawyer whose radio ads disagrees with an accountant's over whether or not you need lawyer/client confidentiality to protect you (the lawyer, oddly enough, says yes!) when you're in arrears to the government.

But nothing on the scale of the US law firm's ads.

There's a few that really stick in my mind. The prototypical "nice" lawyers are Celino & Barnes (and, caution, but that web page gave my browser the apoplexy, some ambulance chasers personal injury lawyers. I'd been mystified by their recent appearance as The Barnes Firm until I found out that Celino had apparently been temporarily disbarred for champerty and maintenance, which is my favourite Dickens story.
He's back with the firm now, so they can go back to being the second slashiest lawyers ever. Their Buffalo branch has a catchy jingle, since I can remember the last four digits of their phone number, and that counts for something, yah?

Celino & Barnes are best known for ads featuring them walking through a bustling law office filled with natural light, extolling your right, nay, obligation to sue someone. It would end with Celino & Barnes reunited in the confernce room, with a group of happy former clients standing around them looking paid. Or at least actors representing same.

They did a good job of presenting themselves as nice young men looking out for you.

The best ads ever, though, were from Jim "THE HAMMER!" Shapiro. He's was a late night favourite, and I saw him on many occasions when staying up late to watch Babylon 5 on the Rochester Fox affiliate. Jim "THE HAMMER!" Shapiro had ads that, well, indicated he would HAMMER the insurance company, and HAMMER drunk drivers, and HAMMER city works departments that don't fill potholes. Complete with an early '90s CGI hammer hammering things.

Totally awesome. Apparently, he has also been disbarred, although he doesn't care since he sold the law firms and has gone into publishing, producing books such as Sue the Bastards! and Million Dollar Lungs!

There are Jim "The Hammer!" Shapiro ads to be found here. Just add in "We will return to Babylon 5 after these messages" yourself.