Towering above California’s freeways, oversized billboards display the names of personal injury law firms and the smiling faces of attorneys every other mile or so. If you have driven the Interstate 5 anytime recently (as we all have) you might ask — what is the point of all these ads?
It might surprise you to learn that behind the overt goal of burning the firm’s name into your memory, there is a troubling trend that’s quietly costing Californians’ jobs and driving up the cost of living for all of us.
In 2024, trial lawyers spent an estimated $2.5 billion on nearly 27 million legal service ads nationwide, with Los Angeles ranking near the top of all localities in the country seeing a vast injection of billboard attorney ads. These ads aren’t just about helping injured people find representation — they’re often about drumming up mass litigation that targets small businesses and inflates costs for everyone. It’s no wonder that residents in Los Angeles County are burdened with a hidden “tort tax” of $3,658 per person each year — money siphoned away from our communities by excessive litigation.
In Santa Clarita and across the region, these lawsuits can mean the difference between a local shop staying open or shutting down. Every dollar spent defending against a meritless claim is a dollar not spent hiring employees, expanding services, or lowering prices. These costs drain residents’ hard-fought savings and drive up operating expenses for businesses, which directly contributes to a staggering loss of over 400,000 jobs annually.
It’s time to shine a light on this nefarious trial lawyer cash-grab scheme hidden behind the guise of “justice.” It is crucial that lawmakers pursue reforms that protect legitimate victims AND the small businesses that form the backbone of our local economy, rather than staying complicit in this elaborate money printing machine.
Russell Zink
Stevenson Ranch
