Billboard attorneys have long been known for not being your conventional attorney. Now Morgan & Morgan , the self-proclaimed largest personal injury firm in America, is under fire for claiming one of their billboards have been vandalized, a tactic to gain attention that could be in violation of Florida Bar standards.
On August 24th Morgan & Morgan claimed in Savannah, GA that they were victims of a crime. A spokesperson stated on behalf of the firm, "We take this very seriously, are investigating and exploring all of our options." However, this incident could be more than just a simple vandalism attack.
In 2015, Morgan & Morgan was caught defacing their own billboards to garner even more advertising. Back in 2015 the Tampa Bay Times covered when John Morgan publicly spoke of the strategy.
"Then I came up with the idea of defacing my own billboard. The first one went up in Orlando and it was themed around the Orlando City Soccer Lions team. People were backing up traffic because they were stopping to take pictures of it. TV news stations came out and did stories about it. People were posting on social media about it. We thought it was great. It was the best money I've ever spent," stated Morgan.
Now, the Florida Bar has commented on the mega-firm for possible advertising ethics violations. Not only is the vandalism setting off red flags, but claims that Morgan & Morgan makes of being the nation's largest personal injury law firm and their subliminal slogan, "size matters," are being investigated by the Florida Bar.
Critics have claimed that Morgan and Morgan's past behavior reflects that their firm is not, "for the people," as they claim. The news raises significant questions about billboard attorneys and stereotypes that surround the legal profession.
On June 20,2023, the Florida Bar's Assistant Ethics Counsel, Joy, A. Bruner, sent the firm a letter responding to their advertising filing submission that was requested of them.
In the letter, it appears as if there were several instances in where Morgan & Morgan did not comply with certain advertising rules put in place.
Here is the Florida Bar letter sent to Morgan & Morgan:
