The internet is without question the most remarkable and useful tool of this age. Its greatest advantage is that it levels the playing field. Its 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 attorneys making ridiculous claims. Apparently, these attorneys put their resources into paying for search engine optimization, so that their website pops up on the first page of a search, rather than into representing their clients or perfecting their skills as an attorney. Their content is primarily puffery rather than substantive. 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, it's impossible to tell them apart.
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. Any lawyer can claim to be the best, or claim to love you the most. Words don't make it so.
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.