It's hard to imagine, but prior to a Supreme Court decision in 1977, lawyers were not allowed to advertise at all. Since that time, law firm marketing and advertising specialists have developed savvy social media campaigns that play on the fears and emotions of the public. Very little monitoring of this practice is done; when it is, it's by the legal profession itself. I will explore the history of legal advertising, how rules that govern advertising by lawyers vary from state to state and why national oversight is impractical, how the myriad of mesothelioma and other mass tort solicitations came to be, and how they affect you and I. I will argue why judges must exert control in order to better protect the public from unscrupulous practices.
