An Empirical Analysis of Consumers' Attitudes Toward Legal Services Advertising

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate current attitudes and opinions of lawyer advertising and to compare them to the attitudes expressed 15 years ago. This study was designed to determine (a) consumers' attitudes toward advertising by attorneys and (b) whether age, occupation, income, education, and/or sex of consumer accounted for any significant difference in attitudes toward attorneys who advertise. This study investigates possible changes in attitudes of consumers toward lawyer advertising over a 15-year period. It replicates a survey done in 1988 and uses the same questionnaire and the same population to compare responses longitudinally. The study seems to confirm the belief of many marketing professionals that advertising and marketing clearly have a place in the future of legal services. Although the present image of lawyers is not positive, most of the 2003 respondents agreed that it is proper for lawyers to advertise. The study also confirmed that quality of service and the reputation of lawyers were more important to the 2003 consumers than the price.