In the motion, defense counsel argued that the plaintiff’s firm had issued press releases encouraging company shareholders to join the suit and even drafted a complaint before finding a plaintiff. In their motion, the defendants argue that “This lawsuit is the product of a concerted advertising campaign launched by [the plaintiff’s counsel] a mere three weeks ago. The advertising campaign violates multiple bar rules and is a clear violation of the rules protecting the company from illegal advertising.” The motion adds that the plaintiff’s firm “formulated a lawsuit and a specific desire to sue the Defendants and went fishing for clients to make that happen.”
The motion alleges further that the law firm’s press releases were widely disseminated advertisements, and that the advertisements were not approved by the Florida Bar prior to their publication. The motion argues further that the law firm “went so far as to prepare a form complaint before it ever had a client.” The law firm “then posted the plaintiff-less complaint – which is nearly identical to that now on file – on its website in a plain effort to solicit its desired claimant.” The law firm “got what it wanted. But in doing so it also violated the Florida Bar Rules and this Court’s holdings on improper solicitations.”
Source: Plaintiff Law Firm’s Client Solicitation Practices to Face Scrutiny | The D&O Diary
