Personal injury commercials are part of a multi-million dollar enterprise. According to 2003 figures, attorneys spent more than $380 million dollars on local TV, radio, and print ads. And that doesn't include Yellow Page listings or regional and national advertising.

How did lawyers come to spend so much on personal injury commercial? The answer is simple. In order to stay afloat in the law profession, lawyers need to build their clientele. In order to do so, in a world that's steadily growing in terms of population, a lawyer must use the popular media outlets-and television is certainly the most popular.

Supreme Court OKs Personal Injury Commercials

The Supreme Court ruling that lifted the ban on legal commercials not only legitimized personal injury commercials and other lawyer marketing, but it opened the eyes of the legal profession. Once a profession that looked down upon advertising, lawyers soon came to realize that they also offered a valued service. And service providers, like any business trying to make ends meet, need to advertise their wares.

While the first lawyer ads after the court ruling were met with objections, over time they became more accepted. In fact, advertising in general can now be seen in every corner of our society. Of course, personal injury ads must abide by ethical considerations created by the American Bar Association and conform to the professionalism of the legal industry.