The internet is without question the most remarkable and useful tool of this age. It's greatest advantage is that it levels the playing field. It's greatest disadvantage is that it levels the playing field.
All lawyers are not the same. As an attorney who has spent a substantial portion of his time teaching other criminal defense lawyers how to practice their craft, it is painful to scan the internet and see websites of attorney claiming to be the best in their field when no one has ever heard of them. Apparently, these attorneys put their resources into paying search engines so that their websites pop up first rather than into representing their clients or perfecting their skills as an attorney. This is a sad commentary on the legal profession.
There are a number of excellent lawyers practicing criminal defense in New York, as well as across the country. There are far more who fall short of excellence. On the internet, they all look the same.
I have resisted a website for a long time because of this cold hard fact, but the reality is that the internet has become the mechanism of choice to gain information, including about lawyers. And so I have succumbed to the lure of the world wide web. Still, every attorney has an ethical obligation to assist the public and promote their knowledge about the law. I do so by cautioning you that empty self-promotion is easy in a world where the internet levels the playing field for the best lawyers as well as the worst.
This is your life. Choose wisely. We will have a far better chance for success if you come to me before you've let someone else muck up the case. And with all due respect to my brothers and sisters at the bar, it matters to me that my representation of you will serve to fulfill your goals. It's not just about money, but about my obligation as an attorney to serve my clients.