A Peek Under The Ticket-Busting Curtain

Las Vegas Business Press posted an interesting article featuring interviews with both Richard Harris and Adam Stokes (turn down the volume on your computer before you follow that Stokes link - trust us) regarding their respective ticket-busting endeavors.

According to the article, Justice Court collected $36 Million in ticket revenue in 2009. That doesn't include the revenue from Municipal Court, Henderson, North Las Vegas, etc. If you've ever wondered why we have so many ticket-busting firms - there's your answer.

Both attorneys were asked how they go about negotiating tickets for clients. Harris seems to take the more-citations-is-better approach:

"Many of these violations are in packages," Harris said. "Some motorists could be hit with several citations. They could include improper lane change, no insurance, signals -- I remember one client had seven. When we have this many, we can negotiate, and we do a good job."

Stokes, on the other hand, gave a very Stokesian answer:

"I'll go (before the judge) with a stack of 500 tickets and try to get the best deal I can for my clients," Stokes said. "If I can't, then I'll ask the judge to set all 500 cases for trial."

Riiiiiiiiight. Then the judge schedules him to return for a calendar call on April 1, 2035. This is why you never want to be in line behind Stokes on Attorney Day.

Although he refused to be interviewed, LVBP also has some interesting information about Kirk Hemlick, the owner of Ticket Terminators (you know - big cop, pink building ... "You don't want to see me in court!"). Perhaps the most interesting thing about Hemlick (to us, anyway) is that he is not an attorney.

But wait, you say, how can Hemlick own a ticket-busting firm and share profits with the attorneys he "employs" without possessing a bar number? We have no clue. If any of you know how Hemlick has managed to structure his business around NRPC 5.4, please enlighten us in the comments.

(Las Vegas Business Press)

The Tournament comes down to numbers: 444-4444 v. 666-6666

We've reached the end of the tournament road, ladies and gents. And your finalists are:

444-4444 (Richard Harris) (background here and history here) v.

666-6666 (the Harris firm's Ticket Busters) (background here and results here).

Many readers have objected that a Harris v. Harris entity final is a perversion of justice. For those readers, we suggest you sit back and enjoy this battle with the image of a corporate legal entity punching itself in the face with its left hand and socking itself in the gut with its right hand.

Other readers have raised allegations the two remaining firms only got here by stuffing the ballot box like a fatwah-issuing Persian president or a city counselor in Chicago. For the record, we weren't able to confirm any foul play, but we agree with the commentators that the number of votes in the Kenny v. Harris semi-final smells foul.

That said, most of the blog readers are lawyers and from what we hear, reputation is everything in this business. If competitors chose to cheat to win a blog poll, the Court of general opinion may brand the winner with a scarlet asterisk. We'll leave that in the hands of the people commentators.

Either way, this tournament has been "One Shining Moment" after another:

The Heavy Hitter v. Ticket Busters (2nd Round)--voting ends 7/21 at 5 pm

If we could have Blogger do it, we'd have Sprach Zarathustra (the theme from 2001) piping in from the speakers while you read this poll post. Why? Because the undisputed heavyweight champion of billboard/television advertising is making his way towards the ring. That's right, this Monday it is the 4ft 10" Heavy Hitter v. that cute cop on the Ticket Busters ads.

Glen Lerner, The Heavy Hitter
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Lerner has entered the ring. Say what you want about him (and we've said plenty on this blog; see all prior posts here), the Boston accented, shorter than short Heavy Hitter is the king of Vegas legal billboards, radio ads (Glen Lerner Traffic Center, anyone) and television advertising (Heavy Hitter ads and spoofs available here).

According to his website, Mr. Lerner "has been practicing personal injury law in Las Vegas since 1991" . . . and he "deals with attorneys all over America fighting for the 'little guy' against the big insurance companies and corporations." As goofy as the ads are, Mr. Lerner is a prime example of Plaintiff's attorneys laughing all the way to the bank. It is generally accepted that Lerner is a multi-millionaire and now that he's spreading his practice down to Phoenix as well, we're pretty sure that he showers in money every day.

Like it or not, Lerner is in many ways the face of the Nevada legal community to the general public. That's makes him tough competition in this poll.

Finally, he potentially has the most iconic personal injury commercial out there, "The Big Game":




Ticket Busters
Sure, everyone knows that Ticket Busters is just Richard Harris' firm in disguise. But the firm's billboard presence is so huge that Ticket Busters got its own slot in the tournament.

Ticket Busters may be the best example of the comedy and success of Vegas billboard/television firms. Everyone in town makes fun of TB because its public face is a cartoon police officer. At the same time, the owners of the firm have plenty of cash to roll in to deal with public derision. The biggest complaint clients seem to have with TB is that clients "could have done it themselves". (RJ Eforums). But what firm hasn't had to listen to an ungrateful client claim he could have represented himself? Plus, how many other firms have a Facebook page so people can become a fan?

They even have ridiculous cartoon commercials:

Ticket Busters v. Christensen Law--Round One continues (poll ends 7/3/09 at 5 p.m.)

Ticket Busters
Sure, everyone knows that Ticket Busters is just Richard Harris' firm in disguise. But the firm's billboard presence is so huge that Ticket Busters got its own slot in the tournament.

Ticket Busters may be the best example of the comedy and success of Vegas billboard/television firms. Everyone in town makes fun of TB because its public face is a cartoon police officer. At the same time, the owners of the firm have plenty of cash to roll in to deal with public derision. The biggest complaint clients seem to have with TB is that clients "could have done it themselves". (RJ Eforums). But what firm hasn't had to listen to an ungrateful client claim he could have represtented himself? Plus, how many other firms have a Facebook page so people can become a fan?

They even have ridiculous cartoon commercials:



Christensen Law
What's the key to standing out in the Vegas billboard/television crowd? Get yourself a good phone number and web address. Christensen Law has got this strategy down pat with the number 702-HELPNOW and the website injuryhelpnow.com.

Vegas has some of the worst drivers in the country. That's why an easy to remember phone number helps. When driving along the 215 while drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette, texting and changing the radio station, Vegas drivers need a catchy number to remember.

Other than the smart choice in phone numbers, Christensen Law has remained under the radar. No real scandals or embarrassing personalities. We'll leave it to you readers to decide whether that's a plus or a minus.

Recession advertising hits the valley: 50% off lawyers

With the economy in a slump, many firms are trying different strategies to shore up their balance sheets: cheaper rates, cut associate salary/benefits and even rexamining the billable hour system. But where some see crisis, others see opportunity.

Enter legal marketing genius and Vegas attorney, Adam Stokes. Stokes was the original creator behind the Ticket Busters' business model (large quantity of small cases for small fees = big bucks) and he was the original owner of the 444-4444 number. Stokes sold both businesses to Richard Harris, along with some personal injury cases, reportedly for $4 Million. Not bad for three years of work (Stokes was admitted to the NV Bar in 2004).

Well, Stokes is back. He is soon to announce the opening of his next well-named business, Half Price Lawyers (http://www.halfpricelawyers.com/). Pretty smart marketing in this economy. Americans do love a bargain.

By the way, if you're reading this Mr. Stokes, we're looking for a Director of Marketing here at the blog.

(Thanks to M for the tip)

Advertising 101

How do you promote a potentially tanking business model? You sex it up, of course. This is exactly what Ticket Busters (a.k.a. Richard Harris' mini-firm) has done. 

Available NOW at TB's front desk is a pinup-style calendar featuring scantily-clad photos of ... their employees (actual cover pictured at right). Apparently, Ticket Busters took the time honored "sex sells" slogan to heart, and started hiring out-of-work stripers to handle the complex legal work that accompanies getting traffic fines reduced shuffle papers.

We're unsure whether we want TB to succeed with this endeavor. After all, is anyone excited about the prospect of a "Girls of Lionel Sawyer" calendar coming down the pike? For those who would like to get their own copy of this filth, just pick up the phone and keep dialing the number of the beast ... sinners. 

(Thanks for the tip, Anonymous)