A criminal defense attorney may not have the most glamorous job in the profession. However, Daniel Muessig has embraced the job, and created a video to advertise his services that has gotten him more clients. The video has gone viral and has gotten a lot of media attention, but it’s also controversial and has made other attorneys upset. When I first saw it, I thought it was a Saturday Night Live parody sketch because it has a hip hop style and seems silly, not serious. Muessig also uses words such as “liar” and “scumbug” to describe other lawyers. It doesn’t seem professional, and Muessig doesn’t care. He wants to connect with potential clients and says, “I think like a criminal” and tells them that consequences “suck”.
He’s probably glad the video has worked for him financially and has gotten him a lot of media coverage, but in the long run, it could be harmful. Other lawyers have commented in various articles that it negatively affects their professional image, and I agree. If he wants to have a bigger firm in the future, this sophomoric video has already affected what people think of him. Even if he decides to remove the video from YouTube, the articles written about him will still be online, and people have probably already duplicated the video to post it elsewhere.
Even if an attorney is struggling to get clients, he or she should be careful when using social media and doing things that could get the wrong media attention. A publicity plan should be about the future as well as the present.
