Domain Name Lawyer Directory Website - DNForum - Domain Sales, Domain Forum, Domain Appraisals, Domain Registrars

**LintonInvestments** · 05-13-2008, 10:14 PM

We are starting a directory for domain name lawyers and looking for 10-15 law firms to list for free in the initial launch of our site.

If you are a lawyer or know of a good lawyer with domain law experience please feel free to pass along website and email for inclusion in the directory.

Expected launch date is July 1st 2008.

We hope this to be a great centralized resource for domain investors looking for good legal counsel.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

**jberryhill** · 05-14-2008, 08:55 PM

What are your proposed commercial arrangements with attorneys, and in what manner to you expect to ensure compliance with the various state equivalents of ABA Model Rule 7.2(b)?

Do you propose to accept any thing of value in exchange for referral of an attorney's services?

...and I don't mean this as an idle question. I have increasingly observed outright unethical advertising by attorneys, and I have had a number of people propose unethical "promotion" arrangements to me.

Unlike other commercial services, the advertisement of legal services is subject to peculiar regulations, and for good reason.

The more aggressively an attorney promotes his or her services, the more a prospective client should wonder why that attorney has such difficulty finding work.

**MediaHound** · 05-14-2008, 09:03 PM

Thread moved to advertising from legal issues.
If the thread becomes a legitimate legal issue, it'll be moved back.

**jberryhill** · 05-14-2008, 09:06 PM

And at this point, an illustrative real life anecdote may be illuminating. I have received several calls along the following lines:

The phone rings, and it is a general business attorney whose client has a domain name legal issue. The attorney describes his client's situation and wants to know if it is the type of situation with which I have experience. Quite frequently, the situation is one with which I have routinely dealt with for nearly a decade, and I describe what I would recommend upon taking the case.

Then comes the part that makes me ill. The attorney wants to know what my "usual arrangements for referrals" are.

I will tell you what my usual arrangements for referrals are, and they are very clear. When I recommend the services of another attorney to my client or another party, I make that recommendation on the basis of my assessment of that attorneys qualification, skill and experience to provide the best services of which I am aware to that party, and I do not take one red cent for doing so. Neither do I pay a "bounty" to a third party for referring work to me.

What I find startling in these situations is that I am often approached by an attorney who may have been doing work for the client for several years.

So, I'll put it to the community. Would you want your attorney to recommend the services of another attorney based upon how much your attorney was going to get paid to make the recommendation?

It is a filthy disgusting practice which is a disservice to the client, and one in which no self respecting attorney should engage.

Be sure to ask your attorney whether he has offered or received anything of value whenever you are referred to an attorney or referred by an attorney. Make your attorney put that in writing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MediaHound

Thread moved to advertising from legal issues.
If the thread becomes a legitimate legal issue, it'll be moved back.

It's a legitimate legal issue, and one that really needs to be aired, because advertising is one of the biggest ethical sewers of the legal profession.

**iBizStart** · 05-14-2008, 09:17 PM

Great respnse jberryhill. I wish we learned more about this in law school, or maybe we just have not gotten to it yet.

**south** · 05-14-2008, 10:04 PM

.....gasps for breath...

Egads!

An *HONEST, ETHICAL ATTORNEY*!!!

John, if you're not careful, you'll give your profession a good name.

In all seriousness, you will be the first one I call if I ever need legal services in this field. Kudos to you sir! I agree wholeheartedly.

**draggar** · 05-14-2008, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by south

An *HONEST, ETHICAL ATTORNEY*!!!

Shh, but I know a second one, my wife's uncle. He was a general law attorney (if that exists, or whatever the equivalent was). He was so tired of the BS in the court room that he went over to real estate law and only does that now.

John poses some very good questions and people who deal with attorneys need a good one on their side. Your ToS might be a little grey and get away with it for many industries but this is one that you can rest assured that the majority of your clientel will be scrutinizing every little but of the ToS.

**LintonInvestments** · 05-14-2008, 10:33 PM

This will be a directory site with listings of domain name lawyers with their contact information. Any lawyers that wishes to be included may contact me for inclusion in the website. Please understand this will be a standard directory site to help domainers find lawyers should they need their services.

Let me know if there is any further clarification that needs to be made. Thanks for all of the great response! Looking forward to launching this in July.

**jberryhill** · 05-15-2008, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Great respnse jberryhill. I wish we learned more about this in law school, or maybe we just have not gotten to it yet.

If you are studying law in the US, you will be required to take a minimum number of hours in ethics, you will be required to pass a separate test on the subject, and most jurisdictions require a minimum annual CLE requirement with an ethics component.

When you take your ethics class - PAY ATTENTION. Believe it or not, it is the only course in law school that will mean anything to you every single day in practice.

It's easy to think, "Oh, I'll just avoid doing anything wrong." You would be surprised how often ethical questions come up, and sometimes when you haven't spotted the issue.

Please understand I wasn't busting on the OP, but I've seen some weird attorney advertising lately, and had quite a few weird propositions put to me.

For example, there was a registrar that wanted to charge me commissions on referred cases, and just couldn't figure out why I wouldn't do that since "so-and-so said he'd do it".