It never ceases to amaze us how tenacious and hard-working attorneys are. Earlier this month, our team attended the National Trial Lawyers Summit where we also particulated in the Golden Gavel Awards.
The Golden Gavel Awards recognize excellence in legal industry advertising. Jason Hennessey presented an award, and we were privileged to see a big moment in history for the Golden Gavel Awards and for legal marketing and advertising.
Jason Hennessey with Jacoby & Meyers managing partner Michael Akiva
Len Jacoby is a co-founder of Jacoby & Meyers, a top California personal injury law firm. At this year’s Golden Gavel Awards, he was the first person inducted into the National Trial Lawyers Advertising Hall of Fame—and for good reason.
Jacoby and his partner, Stephen Meyers, joined forces back in 1972 to form Jacoby & Meyers, a preeminent personal injury law firm based in California. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the duo saw a need for legal advertising to be able to reach consumers.
At the time, the American Bar Association and state bars did not allow lawyers to advertise their services. As Len Jacoby explains in his award acceptance video filmed at Hennessey Studios, he encountered many obstacles in the fight to be able to advertise his firm under threat of disbarment; even holding a press conference went against the State Bar of California’s rules.
Jacoby & Meyers took their case to the Supreme Court of California (Jacoby v. State Bar) while a similar case (Bates v. State Bar of Arizona) went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Both cases were decided in favor of the attorneys, finally giving them the right to advertise their legal services. Within days, Jacoby & Meyers ran its first newspaper and television ads, and the rest is history.
Len Jacoby with Jason Hennessey
Jacoby was a trailblazer, paving the way for future attorneys in the state of California. He pioneered modern legal advertising as we know it, and attorneys nationwide owe him a debt of gratitude for his work in the fight to market law firms and legal services. It’s hard to imagine how different the legal industry might be today if Len Jacoby and Steve Meyers hadn’t teamed up and asked “Why not?” half a century ago. Would law firm SEO even exist?
Our team was proud to host Len Jacoby at Hennessey Studios to film his acceptance speech and get to know the man behind one of the most fascinating stories in the legal industry.
Len Jacoby filming at Hennessey Studios
Does your law firm want to make a big impact with video and podcast productions?Contact Hennessey Studios and let’s get your message out there!