Diamond and Diamond Lawyers Join the Global Stage in Personal Injury

If you live or have your business in the Toronto area, or even Ontario for that matter, you’ve seen Diamond and Diamond Lawyers. The firm has become the most recognizable face in the past decade for personal injury lawyers in Toronto. Diamond and Diamond promise to provide excellent assistance to people who are wrongfully hurt so that they are able to get the settlements they deserve.

While not a franchise story directly, this primer gives insights into how a 1-office firm, not only expanded across Ontario (and Vancouver), but has expanded its service offerings including wills and estates, real estate law, second mortgages, uncontested divorces and separation agreement.

Exposure for law firms in the form of advertisements has recently undergone a massive culture shift as firms have ditched the old school methods of advertising to join the world of technology, sports marketing, and more.

 

The History of Personal Injury Advertising

We’ve all seen the ads for big law firms such as Diamond and Diamond and they only seem to be increasing in number. From television spots with sports teams to even promoting themselves on city benches, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing an ad from at least one firm. And industry experts predict it is only going to grow.

The reason being is that the personal injury industry within Canada is currently growing at a rapid rate. According to a 2009 report by Statistics Canada, the personal injury industry is worth an estimated $19.8 billion and one case alone has the ability to bring in a multi-million dollar settlements. With all of this money to be made, it’s no surprise that firms have put so many resources into marketing efforts across Canada. The competition is fierce and new marketing tactics are emerging daily.

“When we started we were one of the first players,” said Jeremy Diamond one of the managing partners of Diamond and Diamond. “We’ve learned that people see through inauthentic advertisements so we’ve always aimed to be honest about our experience and expertise.”

In the past when law firms would advertise, all the public would see is an ad in the Yellow Pages. Lawyers would make sure to maintain good relations with other lawyers and medical professionals to help garner support, but advertising was kept to a minimum. It was always the United States who would put up the big flashy TV ads and billboards.

The Canadian personal injury industry has changed however. Firms take out ads in radio and television where they speak passionately about helping those who have been hurt and they sponsor sporting and community events. In addition to this, firms need to focus on increasing their search engine optimization so they can compete to have one of the top spots in Google searches. Adwords in the space can fetch over $100 per click. Law firm marketing has quickly evolved to become a complex endeavor that requires an entire marketing department to manage promotion.

Diamond and Diamond has emerged at the front of the industry by exploring unconventional ways of advertising including previous sponsorships with major sporting franchises like the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs and, currently, the Ottawa Senators.

“We sponsored these teams because we ourselves were big fans,” said firm owner, Sandra Zisckind. “These franchises do an excellent job at creating custom solutions to promote your brand to thousands.”

Diamond and Diamond has a widely cast net in Toronto due to their skilled marketing department which holds expertise in digital marketing, online reputation, video and radio production and media buying. They have also been featured in popular press including: Forbes, Law Times News and Toronto Sun.

 

The Law Society of Upper Canada

So what does the Law Society of Upper Canada have to say about all of this advertising? In 1987 the LSUC struck down a ruling against advertising by law firms in Ontario and from then on has permitted it on any medium.

This first ruling comes a decade after the United State’s decision to strike down the Arizona law that denied law firms the ability to promote themselves. The reason for these decisions was simple: law makers in both countries felt it was against public interest to deny consumers information. It didn’t take long for the Ontario ruling to spread to the other Canadian provinces.

The LSUC has some fairly general and laid-back rules for how law firms can market themselves as well. For instance, according to their “Rules for Professional Conduct” guidelines, the only limitation for marketers is that the advertisements cannot be misleading, confusing, or deception and must be portrayed in the best interest of the public. Outside of those few things, it’s up to the law firms how they choose to advertise themselves. Some Canadian firms have proposed submitting their ads for pre-approval, which is a common practice in the United States.

The only change since the 1987 ruling by the LSUC came about a decade ago. This rule change allowed law firms such as Diamond and Diamond to charge a referral fee for lawyer to lawyer referral services. The fee, however, must be reasonable and cannot increase the overall lawyer fee taken out of the final settlement.

 

A Similar History: Cellino and Barnes

When firms such as Diamond and Diamond began their mass advertising campaigns, many people familiar with the law firm industry considered their advertising expansion to be similar to the law firm Cellino and Barnes. Cellino and Barnes are well-known around Buffalo, New York for their smiling faces that have featured on television and billboard advertisements over the past decade plus.

Ross Cellino and Steve Barnes who run the firm are seemingly recognized everywhere they go in West New York from restaurants to community events as if they were celebrities and that influence is expanding. They now hold residence in other areas of New York, such as Rochester and as far out as the west coast to Los Angeles, with their recent expansion.

They have quickly become the biggest player in the Personal Injury space, investing millions in broad marketing campaigns across Radio, Television, Digital and out of home.

 

How Diamond and Diamond Partnered with Sporting Franchises

Diamond and Diamond are known sponsors for a number of large sports teams such as the Toronto Raptors, Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Marlies, and the Argos. The firm proudly displays their business name at the sporting events and Jeremy Diamond has been known to be featured on the Raptors’ big screen that hangs above mid-court.

So how did all of this come about? Jeremy Diamond himself has stated on the Diamond and Diamond website where their passion for hockey comes from “Our staff, clients and even my son are massive NHL supporters.” Jeremy Diamond believes that the experience of being a fan is unique because it’s a communal time that is associated with bonding between family and friends. He wanted to join that excitement. Diamond began to sponsor such things as “rules of the game” and injury reports that run within the sporting centers as well as on television broadcasts.

The first big contract that helped to gain Diamond and Diamond the sports world notoriety they currently enjoy came as a multi-year agreement with the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment group. This multi-year agreement included sponsorships with the Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Marlies. Once the firm expanded to its 13th office in Ottawa they also signed an agreement with the Ottawa Senators.

Diamond and Diamond do not only sponsor big name sports teams, however. They are known for sponsoring a number of youth hockey leagues around Ontario in an effort to give back to the community including OHL teams such as the Windsor Spitfires.

 

An Inside Look at the Competitive Industry

It’s now a competition to become the biggest personal injury brand in Ontario, with many firms doing whatever they can to give them an extra edge. Ontario is home to north of two dozen personal injury law firms, so competition is at its highest.

Law firms are also ramping up their advertising budgets in order to compete against Diamond and Diamond for public space on areas such as buses, benches, and sports teams. There is also a strong push to dominate the internet space via search engine optimization. One quick google search of “Toronto lawyer’s” will bring about a plethora of paid advertisements by the multiple firms in the city in hopes of attracting business. Many jockey for top position and shell out six figure spends to Google on an annual basis.

Due to the Statistics Canada report which shows a whopping $19.8 billion personal injury industry and the laid back restrictions on law firm advertising, firms are only increasing their advertisement budgets in order to gain the biggest piece of the pie possible.

As insurance companies seek to shrink payouts, the pie itself is getting smaller. As such, many consumers are seeking out tough advocates who are willing to go toe to toe with insurance defense counsel and adjusters.

Diamond and Diamond has quickly become “the” personal injury law firm in Ontario in a short four years. The firm has been able to do this through calculated and strategic marketing efforts by sponsoring massive sports teams such as the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as by producing high-quality television and radio ads among other mediums.

On May 1, the firm will make a unique move towards a full service offering including wills and estates, second mortgages, uncontested divorces and separation agreement.

In addition, the firm hopes to extend their reputation to two new markets across Canada by early 2018.

“We’ve developed a brand for the every man,” said Jeremy Diamond. “Many people are intimidated by big firms and costly retainers and so we want to let them know that access to justice doesn’t have to be a massive ordeal.”