Is Demand for a Personal Injury Attorney in South FL on the Rise?

A quick Google search will reveal that there is a plethora of personal injury attorneys in South Florida, and their supply doesn't seem to be slowing down any soon. But, what about the demand?

When observing trends in South Florida, it's clear that individuals are still searching for the help of a personal injury attorney. Yet, year over year we can see a clear decrease in the amount of individuals searching for a personal injury lawyer. Moreover, common personal injury practice areas such as auto accident attorneys and slip and fall injury lawyers have experienced a decrease in search as well.

We're currently living in a climate in which personal injury lawyers are not hard to come by - but, are they still just as needed?

Is Supply too Large for Demand?

Between billboards, radio advertisements, television commercials, and search ads, it's not too difficult to see that personal injury attorneys are readily available in South Florida. But it's not just convenient advertising that is making these lawyers so easy to discover. The fact is, there are simply more lawyers operating out of the state of Florida than ever before.

Since 2000, the number of licensed attorneys in the state has risen from 60,900 to a whopping 96,511. In this same time frame, five new law schools have opened. Meaning that while the amount of attorneys up-and-coming in the state of Florida has already experienced a 58 percent boom, more and more lawyers will join their ranks in the upcoming years. In fact, Florida law schools are spitting out more than 30,000 soon-to-be attorneys each year.

Legal Fees Are Plummeting

Each year, the Florida Bar circulates a survey to practicing attorneys in the area. In 2013, when asked the most serious problem facing the legal profession, almost half of the lawyers who responded cited "too many attorneys" as their most prominent issue. This surpassed both "difficult economic times" as well as "poor public perception" issues which have plagued the industry in the past.

It's not until you review survey responses involving attorney fees that you see how this issue is impacting the economy of the business. The same survey found that 25 percent of lawyers in private practices had "adjusted" their fees, with half saying that they didn't expect things to get better anytime soon. While lower attorney fees are likely good news for clients, for the attorneys who are doing the leg work and dedicating hours upon hours fighting cases, lessened fees are a major blow.

With attorneys becoming more readily available and with larger personal injury firms dominating the market, many younger attorneys coming onto the legal scene are handling cases at a fraction of the price compared to traditional industry standards. In fact, the Miami Herald reports that in 2014, fees that once reached $15,000 for high-profile cases have now dipped to as low as $1,500.

Stiff Competition and Expensive Advertising

Personal injury attorneys often put in the most work for victims that have suffered severe consequences at the hands of another's negligence, including victims of medical malpractice, trucking accidents, and wrongful death. They often take to large billboards, buses, or television and radio commercials to alert the public of their services.

However, these flashy, overwhelming tactics often push people away - while also making the competition a lot more stiff for attorneys with smaller advertising budgets. Essentially, it's a catch 22. Respondents to the Florida Bar survey claimed that "poor public perception" is one of the worst problems plaguing the legal profession today, with many blaming it in part on "relentless TV advertising such as that by big personal-injury firms."

Attorneys are having issues capturing an audience due to the larger personal injury firms spending upwards of a million dollars a month on advertising. Thus, smaller, lesser-known firms are charging less for their services, in order to land clients. With more and more attorneys adhering to this trend, fees are dropping across the board. Yet, competition remains intense, as big-name firms keep an iron-fist on demographics.

What's Causing a Decrease in Interest?

Many might side with the attorneys who claimed that big-firm advertising is a thorn in their side. In fact, it is not uncommon to find a distrust for personal injury lawyers among the general public, who listen to their radio jingles and pass their billboards daily. But, that's not to say that they've lost hope completely. In fact, the current trends for interest in personal injury attorneys are negative, but not out of the game just yet.

Interest over time for queries such as "personal injury attorney," "car accident lawyer," or "personal injury attorney" has a history of fluctuating month to month. Especially in South Florida, where many residents are only living in the state part-time, interest in legal representation spikes in the early winter months when the population is at its fullest, and trails off into the summer months when the population dwindles down.

Yet, when viewing search volume for personal injury attorneys from March of 2017 through July of 2018, a new trend emerges. Take, for example, search trends in Broward County, the second-most populous county in Florida. While "personal injury lawyer" was searched a total of 390 times in July of 2017, search volume dropped to 320 in 2018, resulting in an 18 percent decrease in the last year.

"Personal injury attorney" was searched a total of 390 times in July 2017, but dropped to 260 in 2018, accounting for a 33 percent decrease. In that same time frame, search volume for "car accident lawyer" in Broward County dropped 19 percent year over year.* So, what is it that's causing a drop in interest?

The Need for Control and the Cost Barrier

Avvo, an online database of legal questions as well as lawyer referrals, recently performed some deep-diving into current legal trends. They found that both a need for control as well as a cost barrier are the top reasons why fewer and fewer individuals are actively seeking out attorneys.

In a recent survey, 1/3 of legal consumers stated that they want control when handling their legal case. This goes along with recent information found by the National, the official magazine of the Canadian Bar Association, who found that now more than ever people feel confident with their ability to use Internet tools and government websites to find the information they need to address their legal issues.

For this reason, many victims of personal injury feel reluctant to hand over the reins to their case. Instead, they attempt to do the leg work themselves. This would explain why nationwide, search for "without a lawyer" has nearly doubled since September 2013.

Likewise, Avvo stated that a cost barrier is another major reason as to why clients are straying from the use of personal injury attorneys. 7 in 10 consumers stated that they considered hiring a lawyer at some point during the course of their legal issue, but didn't go through with it because of the price tag. Despite this, 58 percent of those surveyed stated that lawyers are worth every penny you pay them.

The Bottom Line

The fact of the matter is, accidents happen. People make mistakes, individuals are negligent, and injuries happen in response. For as long as there are accidents, there will be a demand for South Florida personal injury attorneys.

Right now we're living in a highly digital era, in which people have a constant network of information at their fingertips. While this may make many of them feel capable that they are able to handle their cases on their own, it's important to note that before heading to court, compiling damages, or even agreeing to a settlement, one should always confer with a lawyer. Many fail to realize that their first consultation with a lawyer is completely free, and that many fees have even dropped in recent years.

At the end of the day, South Florida is still home to plenty of honest, truthful personal injury attorneys. And where there is a fight for compensation, these dedicated lawyers will always go to bat. For now, we observe the evolving landscape, eager to see what's to come.

*Source: SEO Monitor