Slashdot Mirror
Lawyers Using Databases To Grab Clients
bc90021 writes "It seems that lawyers are using jail-house email lists to send potential clients letters offering their services. One couple, on finding their son who'd been missing for two days, '...was astonished that deputies failed to call them when their son was arrested -- though contact and medical information was in the young man's wallet -- yet managed to inform people who wanted his business.'"
Capitalism at it's best.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
Particularly nauseating fact from this case was the company who proudly boasted "we are experts in drug cases" on the envelope.
Still, you shouldn't expect any more from these pond life.
Jolyon
Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
Great quote from the film: "North, this is America. Everybody needs a lawyer."
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Using spam to punish criminals. Priceless!
Get out of jail today!
Want to make your member^H^H^H^H^H^Hjailtime longer^H^H^H^H^H^Hshorter? Just give Smith at Law a call, we will do the rest! Guaranteed results! You only have to take^H^H^H^Hmake one pill^H^H^H^Hcall!
Bored? Why not join a decent mess
To go to jail for spamming, and then get spammed by a lawyer?
They've been doing that for a while, at least in California. Someone goes through the records and collects addresses. My neighbor got a DUI, and he started getting lots of snail mail offers from lawyers.
I wonder if lawyers contacted OJ after his arrest...
riding round the world on an old motorcycle
Hmm. I would have liked to have known what the outcome of that was. I have a friend who is in a similar situation and he gets questioned all the time by people concerned for his well-being. But arrested on suspicion of using drugs? Just because he was acting erratic? Does that strike anyone else as strange?
I'd sue the pants off the casino and the arresting agency over that if I was him or his guardian. WTF is this? Arrest first and ask questions later? What have we come to?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Not only does money talk, it also listens.
Seeing bad movies only encourages them. Watch responsibly
Will this be a new punitive measure? "I hereby sentence you to six months in prison and one hundred pieces of spam."
_____
Thank you.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.
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Those who are innocent will want lawyers who relentlessly pursue the truth. The rest need lawyers who know what people can get away with. In our oppositional based legal system, the demand for scummy lawyers will be equal or greater than honest lawyers.
I actually used to run a small business that collected traffic ticket (and DUI) information from the counties and provided it to ticket law offices in a format they could use (i.e. mailing lists). This information was hosted on various gov't run BBSs; but, it is now available on the internet. And this was back in 1999! And the jail (who had been arrested the day before) data was available, but my clients were only interested in traffic citations and DUIs... My point? This has been going on for years, and the timing of the article suprised me. I think those people were especially upset since the police didn't call them (although they had gone through his wallet to determine and post his demographic info); however, the article seems to indicate that he was 18 or over, making you wonder if anything 'wrong' occurred in this situation. Annoying? Yes. Public information? Hey, it is. Interesting debate, though.
So I'm going to guess he is over 21. I'm going to have to ask any future arresting officers to please NOT call my parents. The fam doesn't need to know everytime I get a drunk and disorderly.
The thing about needing medication sucks, but its well within the realm of possibility that his health issue both doesn't present as an actual health issue and renders him unable or unwilling to notify the officers. If thats the case, nothing to see. IF the officers knew something was wrong and still failed to act, well then fsck them.
I carry contact and medical information too, but thats only for use if I am unconscious or otherwise unable to speak for myself. Don't call my mommy just because I get picked up. If the officers dug through the medical records of everyone they picked up, wouldn't we by crying invasion of privacy then too?
I want it on the record so that there's no misunderstanding on the part of future generations, or the current generation who's building the future:
I don't want to end up living in a Neal Stephenson novel. No, not even if I get to be Hiro Protagonist.
Reading this writeup reminded me of the scene in Snow Crash where we discover the police have outsourced incarceration, and take YT to The Clink. All that is left is dollars. The human equation is lost, and anyone holding a sense of morals or ethics is seen as an anachronism. I don't know about anyone else, but... Yuck.
Great books, but I wouldn't want to live there.
Schwab
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
One of my many side jobs is procuring information for attorney's solicitation. Let me tell you, call it scummy or what not, but lawyers will go to any means possible to get their solicitation letters out. This is their livelyhood for 90% of them. It is not very surprising that the lawyers would have the information faster than the parents. And for those of you who might refer to this practice as scummy, remember that in the event that you might find yourself needing an attorney. Competitive soliciation drives the prices down, and in areas with a lot of attorney's soliciting, expect to find prices half of what you would find in more friendly, less competitive areas. Any advertisement can be called scummy until it benefits you personally.
I'd bet he politely asked to place a phone call, but the officer responded, "What good is a phone call if you're unable to speak?" The rest, as they say, is history.
Medical records, bank records, and military records are not covered by the Sixth Amendment. That is the reason for the difference, since the Sixth requires public trail for the accused. I'd rather have arrest records public so no one accidently disappears after being arrested.
There is not near enough information in this article to make any kind of judgment on what happened.
Last week my brother arrested "Satan" (that's who he said he was)- I guess they might have let him keep harassing people while they tried to diagnose what his problem was but instead they took him in. It was meth so I guess you would be o.k. with it.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
If the Titanic was loaded with lawyers, it wouldn't have been a disaster.
Contact your local bar association. Ask for their lawyer referral service.
This gets you lawyers that are reasonably reputable, and often the referral service will have a deal worked out so that the initial consultation isn't going to empty your bank account.
My roommate was arrested in November of last year. There were 10 solicitations in the mailbox 2 days later, 15 the next, and between 7 and 20 everyday for a week thereafter. (South Florida, if it makes a difference).
I just think it's interesting that every single form of excess in the US is frowned upon, except making obscene amounts of money. If you like sex too much, you're a sexaholic; if you take too many recreational substances, you're a drug abuser; if you eat too much you're a glutton; if you're very vocal about your beliefs or religion, you're a fanatic. However, if you make more money than any 1,000 people could spend in 10 lifetimes, you're an entrepreneur (sp?). Now, before I get flamed, I'm not saying that capitalism is bad, but when you take ANYTHING to an extreme, it's usually not a good thing. The main reason that Communism failed is that they took Marx's ideas to their logical extreme without any thought of human nature or simple compassion. Anyone remember "Lost Horizon"? When the head monk is telling Ronald Coleman's character that they do everything in moderation and therefore are more than moderately happy? Just something to think about...
If I sell a t-shirt with Michael Jordan's name on it I could get sued. Isn't this the same thing? If so, then why can't I get paid when my name is sold? If it isn't the same thing, how is it different and why don't I have a choice in the matter?
Speak truth to power.
No.
Er, rather, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
While I don't think authorities should be using that information for commercial purposes, arrests records should absolutely be 100% public.
With private records, you run the risk of embarrassment when the neighbors read your name in the local police blotter.
Without private records, you end up...Well, we don't know where you end up. You're gone. And while we suspect the police had some involvement, nobody can find you to waive your right to keep your arrest secret.
Nice to known members of the Bush administration are reading /. to mod such posts up. Send me a postcard from Guantanamo.
People seem to think lawyers are like doctors or priests, but this is not the case. Lawyers are proficient at understanding, arguing, and otherwise working with "The Law". They are not priests. There is no real modern reason that lawyers should not use the same marketing tools every other business uses. Lawyers have a service and a product, not some Holy mission from God.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
In California, statute 5150 enables them to put anybody into a mental facilty against their will for 72 hours for observation. This is NOT the same as an arrest. Arrested people go to jail. Committed people go to mental institutions. This kid was in a mental institution. Unfortunately, I beleive the legal requirements for locking somebody up for mental illness are much less stringent then for being criminals -- pretty much just the cop's judgement. They don't have a case for "false arrest" unless he was actually charged with a crime.
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
Arrests are usually a matter of public record (what's going on down in Guantanamo Bay is an exception) so there's at least some expectation that personal information will be made available. I do agree there is a difference between making it available and actually "pushing" it to lawyers and therefore the public benefit, if any, is highly questionable.
I'm a resident of Harris County (Houston ), and they've been doing this for at least 7 years ( which is how long I've been getting arrested as an adult ;) I'm 24. ).
Every damn time I get out of jail I end up w/ my mail box stuffed for at least a week w/ lawyers' ads. Even if I sat out my time and thus the case is closed.
And as far as calling his parents, unless his medical paperwork mentioned contact w/ a legal guardian, an adult's relatives are never contacted. Shit, you're lucky if you get your phone call until you make it to the main detention center ( which is a big help if you can make bail ).
PC moderators can suck my White pierced, tattooed dick. If you think pride == hate, s/dick/Aryan meat mallet/g.
Could be illegal to do this....In a number of state, i.e. South Carolina and New York, it is illegal to use any public records (such as arrest records, property titles, mortgage records, etc.) for the purpose of solicitation.
Someone should check the states where these sharks are swimming to see if those states have such restrictions.... then the will need their own lawyers.
I got a speeding ticket, less than a week later i had letters from 3 lawyers offering to "take care of it" for me. I had already had one take care of it, but it's interesting what is available to them.
JediLuke
-Do or Do Not, There is no Try
LoL - scum of the earth squared. If only we could somehow bring SCO into this equation I think we'd have the "most... evil... story... ever...".
;-)
cLive
-- Trinity in high heels carrying a whip: The donimatrix - there is no spoonerism
There are compelling reasons for publishing that information - it's a good way to get witnesses to volunteer information. Imagine that you read that J. Random Thug was arrested for burglary. He is a neighbor of yours, and you've seen him unloading TVs, stereos, and other expensive goods from the back of his van. Now, although you might've assumed that JRT had just been on another shopping spree (he's had a lot of them since the neighborhood crack dealer started hanging out at his house), you realize that you have some information that the police might find interesting.
Sure, that's contrived. However, I'm we've all seen things that looked perfectly innocent that turned out not to be, and it was only after we found out the truth that it seemed so obvious.
Alternatively, if someone on my street were arrested for possessing child pornography, I darn well want to know about it. S?he may eventually be found innocent, but in the mean time, I don't want my kids playing near their house.
When the charges are subsequently dropped or dismissed chances are they won't pick up on it unless you call them and tell them. Even then they will carry it in the smallest possible font nowhere near the normal police blotter.
Our newspaper carries a comprehensive listing of all court cases, including those dismissed, acquittals, and convictions (and associated penalties). If J. Random Thug from my example above turns out to be innocent, they'll print that alongside the list of arrests and convictions. I guess things are different where you are.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
If I were charged with a crime, and I didn't do it, I'd want a lawyer who could help me prove to the court and the world that I didn't do it, and get me off that way. If there were really no evidence that I hadn't done it, and lots that I had (which, outside of TV trials, seems unlikely), only then would I look to get off on a technicality. My preferred technicality would be finding the SOB who really did it.
If, on the other hand, I were guilty of whatever it was, I would want only to reduce my sentence. I'd probably plead guilty. The only time I'd do otherwise would be if I truly believe the law is unfair (for instance, if I were brought up on copyright infringement charges for having a few episodes of a show that doesn't yet exist on this continent on my computer).
We need more people willing to face the consequences of their actions. If people did, not only would we have fewer scumbag lawyers, I think we'd have fewer people that would need their services in the first place.
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
I've been arrested once (wrongly... I called the police for help with a drunk nut and they arrested me because some cops are LAZY ASSHOLES even though many are good, responsible people).
I believe this was on a Friday. By Monday, I had a dozen lawyer's advertisements in my mailbox offering to help me.
-- laws are the opinions of politicians --
Wow. That's the most content-free piece of "journalism" I've seen in a while.
It plays the "parents don't know their kid was arrested" card.
It plays the "public info was used in a way you didn't know was happening" card.
It gives us no details about anything we could use to make a judgement about whether what happened was appropriate or not.
Reconstructing:
Cops are called to the scene of a (presumably, since otherwise they would have had to call his parents) legal adult acting "off".
Does he have a medic alert bracelet? Is he cooperative? It isn't said, but I'll give the cops the benefit of the doubt and say probably not, cause most people don't. I don't, even though I'm on meds. They aren't important enough that I feel I need it. That's my judgement call. And usually, the cops on the scene aren't actually allowed to go through his pockets to find anything more than id, which is usually pretty obvious, so they arrest him and he gets booked.
After he's booked for D&D (or whatever), someone goes through his wallet, finds medical info, and decides he really needs to be in a hospital, not jail. So off he's sent. Does he want his parents to be contacted? We don't know. Doesn't say. He's a legal adult, so there's no requirement to contact them. He's about to be shipped off to the nuthouse, but he's not technically incompetent for another 72 hours yet, so if he doesn't want them called, they won't be. That is still his right, isn't it?
Lawyers do as lawyers do. They'd have a designated person sitting there calling as people were booked if the email system wasn't set up. And this at least gets that freak out of the cops face/space.
Parents get pissy because they weren't contacted. News hound smells "scare" story and writes it up, rather badly.
Slashdot finds it because of the "wow, this publicly available information was sent through email! " connection.
How is this related to MRO again?