Utah Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
The Top-Ten Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Utah
Posted by Utah Criminal Lawyer Stephen
Howard
Guess what?! I just found out that I may be the
best
criminal lawyer in Utah. Or even in all America!!
And not only that, I may have also just won the Nigerian
national lottery!
To claim my lottery winnings, all I have to do is pay a "processing
fee" of a couple of thousand dollars and send some personal information
to some stranger (who, coincidentally, works in a foreign bank and has
access to millions of dollars in forgotten money that he can get for me
too). In order to claim my recognition
as one of the top attorneys in Utah, I only have to pay a few hundred
dollars as "dues" for membership in the recognizing organization.
We all know that the Nigerian lottery emails are a total scam. But what
about the letters that attorneys receive telling them that they have
been named as one of the best attorneys in their state or major
practice area?
Fairly frequently, I receive letters in the mail from various
organizations informing me that I have been named as one of the "top"
or "best” attorneys in Utah. The letters typically congratulate me on
being one of the "top 10" best lawyers or a "leader" in a certain legal
field, such as
criminal defense. The letters
also inform me
that in order to accept this recognition, I
only have to send in payment of a few hundred dollars as “dues”
for
membership in their organization.
In exchange for paying my dues, I will receive membership in their
"prestigious" organization. I also receive the right to display their
organization's logo on my website - a logo which proclaims to all the
world that I am one of the best attorneys in Utah.
Perhaps
the most entertaining communications from these organizations are
letters indicating that they want to recognize me as one of “best”
attorneys in another state, like Kansas - a state in which I have never
practiced
law - or informing me that I have been named as one of the “10 best”
attorneys in Utah - but in a practice area in which I do not do any
significant work. Given that certain of these organizations sometimes
mistakenly believe that I practice in a state other than Utah or that I
practice in areas of law that I do not deal with, I have never chosen
to pay to accept their "honors."
Recognizing an attorney for
excellence and achievement is appropriate. But when receipt of an
“award” or other recognition appears to be based on an attorney’s
willingness to pay a fee rather than on the reputation of the attorney
or the quality of the attorney’s work, it raises serious questions.
But then again, maybe I really did win the Nigerian lottery. . . .
Finding a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Utah

You
should never face a criminal charge alone. Having an experienced
criminal
defense lawyer on your side can be critical to achieving a
successful outcome. Serving Salt Lake County and the rest of Utah,
criminal defense attorney Stephen Howard has the
experience
necessary to ensure that your rights are protected.
Contact us today to
schedule an initial consultation.
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