The Structured Settlement Advertising Watch Dog Barks Again at a familiar face.
The 12-23-2005 Structured Settlement Advertising Wall of Shame highlighted Buffalo, New York firm Forge Consulting LLC’s untrue claim that it is "the first major structured settlement firm in more than a decade". At that time this claim was on the web sites of Association of Trial Lawyers of America ("ATLA") , Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys ("MATA") and the home page of Forge Consulting, LLC. I note that this untrue claim is still on both web sites 5 months later. It also comes up on the Google search for Forge Consulting!
Having just discovered that the Atlanta, GA office of Forge Consulting makes the same untrue claim in its advertising currently on the Tennessee Trial lawyers Association web site, a follow up Structured Settlement Advertising Wall of Shame post is clearly warranted. Federal Truth in Advertising laws,state laws governing advertising by insurance producers, and securities laws regarding advertising by those who securities licensed, are in place to protect consumers, including trial lawyers and their clients.
There is nothing to suggest that Forge Consulting, LLC can back up its claims. As such the claim (that Forge is" the first major new firm in the structured settlement industry in more than a decade") should be scrubbed from trial lawyer association web sites! There have been other major new firms in the structured settlement industry formed since Forge Consulting, LLC was formed in 2003 and Forge should not be permitted to benefit at others’ expense by giving off the impression that it is.
When you couple these instances of the same untrue statement with Forge’s other claims that it can get the lofty "equivocated, guaranteed" rates of approximately 15%, on structured attorney fees, one just has to wonder, how this is possible?
Trial lawyer associations need to be more aware that they need do more than simply take an advertiser’s money and do a better job of screening their advertisers’ claims.
Image licensed from Cartoonstock.com
Leave a Reply