Letters: Ads by lawyers play a role in high auto insurance rates

The 10 points raised by Baton Rouge lawyer Eric Guirard in a recent letter to the editor are excellent recommendations for lowering automobile insurance rates. He says, however, "Don't blame the lawyers." I beg to differ. We moved here from Indiana nearly 10 years ago, a state in which automobile insurance rates are seventh from the bottom nationally. One difference I immediately noticed when we moved here is the large number of ads from personal injury lawyers — ads on billboards and television, especially. These ads encourage potential plaintiffs to seek large settlements using testimonials, some allegedly from past clients, who say such things as, "So-and-so got me a settlement of $400,000," or "Let so-and-so get you the settlement you deserve."

The Indiana legal code of ethics specifically states that information in legal advertising is unethical if it "contains statistical data or other information based on past performance or express or implied prediction of future success;" or "contains any reference to results obtained that may reasonably create an expectation of similar results in future matters;" or "appeals primarily to a lay person's fear, greed, or desire for revenge." Louisiana's ethical guidelines have no such statements.

I would be less inclined to hold the Louisiana legal profession partially responsible for the high automobile insurance rates if it had similar ethical guidelines, and if personal injury lawyers demonstrated a willingness to follow them. So, I would add an 11th point to the 10 posed by Guirard: "The legal profession should adopt and follow ethical guidelines in advertising that do not encourage clients to seek large settlements."

MARC LOUDON

New Orleans