Attorney-Client Matching
Attorney-Client Matching (ACM), also known as online legal matching, is a type of legal advertising that allows attorneys under the ACM program to be specifically matched to potential clients in need that are seeking an attorney for representation. This is an advanced form of a traditional legal directory, the difference being that the ACM system allows for faster attorney/client matching and shaves off a lot of wasted time when a client is searching for an adequate attorney to represent him or her. Law firms and attorneys that participate are put into a legal directory pool that discovers clients by type of pending case and location.
Attorney-Client Matching Legal Directories History:
The ethics and processes by which clients and attorneys are teamed up to meet both of their needs first began its establishment in 1908, when the American Bar Association (ABA) set forth a code of ethics called the Cannons of Professional Ethics. Overall, this code condemned all advertising that lawyers presented to the public created by attorneys. Then, in 1969, the Model Code of Professional Responsibility was developed by the ABA to maintain a set of rules that touched upon the relationship between clients and attorneys and the public.
In 1977, attorney advertising was found by the United States Supreme Court to be protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, despite the Arizona Bar claiming that attorney advertising damaged the image of a “dignified” profession. Basically, the Supreme Court found that the lack of advertising in the attorney profession is a disservice to the community and shows that reaching out to help people in need is an important quality of attorney advertisement.
When the internet began to take the world by storm in the late 1990s, the web began a legitimate legal directory and advertisement space for attorneys looking for clients. Before the internet, Yellow Pages was a primary medium for attorney advertising and provided a legal directory of sorts to potential clients looking for legal representation. But the internet provides many improvements and advantages to traditional means. It provides quick and easy access to legal directories and specialized attorney-client matching programs.
Using the Internet for Legal Directories:
The internet allows attorney information to be placed into a searchable database for consumers to find attorneys that fit their needs. The internet is a legal directory tool that is basically a more sophisticated version of the Yellow Pages.
ACM Service:
The Attorney-Client Matching service was created by several companies based in California to provide an even quicker and easier way for clients to search for attorneys in easy to use legal directories. There are many other companies today that offer these quick and easy legal directory services, such as Case Post, Legal Fish, and Total Attorneys.
The ACM service is useful because the internet is flooded with thousands of attorney advertisements and millions of potential clients looking for attorneys. The ACM service is designed to simplify this process and save time and energy. It will also help both parties make better decisions before their legal case.