It's amazing what $1,200 will buy What's that, you ask? Well, it's basically a brilliant scheme that California attorney Donald Costello came up with back in 1993. You send him $1,200, and he puts your name on a website (which, by the looks of it, has remained unchanged since 1993). But wait, that's not all! According the site, membership entitles you to the following "perks" as well:
- CERTIFICATION
- PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING & REFERRAL
- MEMBER LIST
- MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATE
- PRESS RELEASE
- USE OF LOGOS AND OTHER TRADEMARKS
- MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ADVOCATES FORUM (available to qualified members)
Who the HELL would pay for such a thing, you ask? The answer, unfortunately, is approximately 95 members of our great Nevada Bar (including former District Court Judge Stuart Bell). Also, 17 members of the Nevada bar paid the additional $700 to be included on the list of "Multi-Million Dollar Advocates" (which, strangely, is less expensive to join than the normal Million Dollar list, go figure). The names are too numerous to list, but we recognized almost every one of them, and were quite surprised by a few. You can check it out for yourselves on the site.
We imagine that getting a million dollar verdict is a lot like hitting the jackpot at a local casino: you unexpectedly come into a ton of money, so you spring for the steak dinner and tip the valet $500 on your way out ... only to wake up the next morning wishing you hadn't. Thus, we (sort of) understand wanting to advertise such a triumph and, in the process, falling victim to this nonsense.
The WSJ Law Blog has a good piece about the club, correctly noting that just because you settled a million dollar case does not (necessarily) mean you are a good attorney.
Doing some quick math, the MDAF has managed to pull approximately $125,000 out of the pockets of Nevada plaintiff's attorneys. Thus, in an effort to save our attorney friends some money, we are officially starting the "WWL Advocates Club."
Please send us your money orders, payable to "WWL," in the amount of $500 - a relative steal! In return, we promise to mock you mercilessly for being such a gullible chump. Oh, and for an additional $200, LE will draw you a picture of something that you can tack to your wall (for another $100, said something will be some sort of seal or phallic symbol, her choice). Hurry, supplies are limited!
(MDAF; WSJ Law Blog; Thanks CC!)
