Society

Viral videos are one of the hallmarks of the modern Internet. A disproportionate number of these are of people doing aggressively stupid things: not just individuals with poor common sense, but also companies who try to put their best foot forward only to jam it firmly into their mouth. Disastrous advertisements quickly get companies recognized, not as purveyors of some useful product or service, but as perpetrators of an unprovoked assault on common sense and good taste. Lawyers and law firms are no exception to this. There are plenty of laughingstocks in the field of lawyer television commercials : a quick Internet search will turn up the worst of the worst that video vigilantes have highlighted for public ridicule. These commercials reflect badly on the entire legal profession, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever fully fade from memory. The public has a sharp eye for bad commercials, and if you fall for common traps like trying to be “witty” or “edgy” when your audience just wants...