Trial Lawyer Advertising Soars to $2.5 Billion, Outpacing Pizza Restaurant Ads in Key Markets
New Report from the American Tort Reform Association Exposes Dangers of Aggressive Legal Services Advertising
A new report released today by the American Tort Reform Association reveals a concerning trend: trial lawyers are spending unprecedented amounts on advertising to recruit clients, often at the expense of public health and well-being.
The report estimates that in 2024, roughly $2.5 billion was spent on nearly 27 million legal services ads across the United States. In comparison, this staggering figure dwarfs the $1.1 billion spent by pizza restaurants on 4.1 million ads.
“These numbers are a wake-up call,” said Tiger Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association. “Trial lawyers are flooding the airwaves and digital spaces with aggressive ads, some of which prioritize their profits over the health and safety of consumers.”
The report highlights several key findings:
- Advertising Spending Soars: Overall spending on legal services advertising increased approximately 39% between 2020 and 2024.
- Radio Surge: The quantity of radio ads peaked in 2024 with more than 6.8 million radio ads for legal services, an increase of more than 261% when compared with the 1.8 million radio ads in 2017. Spending on these ads increased 134% when compared with 2017.
- Outdoor Exposure: Spending on out-of-home and outdoor ads, such as billboards, increased more than 260% when compared with 2017. In 2024, advertisers spent an estimated $541.6 million on OOH ads.
- Top Spenders: Morgan & Morgan Attorneys, the self-proclaimed “largest personal injury firm in the nation,” spent an estimated $218 million on advertising in 2024, accounting for 8% of all legal services ads in the country.
- Targeted Media Markets: The top media markets for legal services advertising spending include Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, and Las Vegas.
The Top 3 markets for spending on these ads also are in locations designated as “Judicial Hellholes®” by the American Tort Reform Foundation.
The report raises concerns about the impact of these ads on public health. ATRA notes an FDA study that found 66 reports of adverse events, including seven deaths, following patients discontinuing their blood thinner medication after viewing a lawyer advertisement.
“These over-the-top ads from personal injury attorneys with catchy jingles and toll-free numbers can pose a serious danger,” Joyce said. “These ads undermine the simple notion that physicians and health care providers – not personal injury lawyers or the ‘aggregators’ who run the ads for the lawyer – should dispense medical advice.”
The full report on legal services advertising is available at ATRA.org and utilizes Vivvix data.
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