Jacoby & Meyers
Encyclopedia
Jacoby & Meyers is an American law firm
established as a partnership
by Leonard Jacoby and Stephen Meyers that used an extensive advertising campaign to build exposure and awareness of the firm, growing from a single storefront to as many as 150 offices in Arizona
, California
, Connecticut
, New Jersey
, New York
and Pennsylvania
. Gail Koff
was a third partner in the firm, holding a 20% share of the partnership.
, with a single storefront location in Van Nuys, California. During the 1980s, the firm rode a wave of television advertising to expand to 150 offices in six states nationwide, focused on the Southwest and Northeast. With a strategy that focused on serving "middle-class individuals" with free consultations and flat fees for many standard cases. The local stores were staffed by general practitioners who used a company-developed system for filing and tracking each case, which could then be referred to specialized units that focused on areas such as bankruptcy
, consumer law
, criminal law
, divorce law and personal injury law
. The firm had garnered much publicity for itself after holding an open house for the media at their offices, which the State Bar of California
deemed to be a form of advertising in breach of its code of ethics. After the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned restrictions on legal advertising in the United States
in the 1977 case Bates v. State Bar of Arizona
, Jacoby and Meyers placed their first print ad in the Los Angeles Times
the following day and aired their first television commercials just days later, making it the first firm in the United States to advertise on television.
In a 1995 lawsuit filed in Superior Court of Los Angeles County
alleging that Meyers and Koff had ignored proposals that Jacoby had made to restructure the business in the wake of declining economic conditions in the 1980s and that his partners "undertook a deliberate course of action to isolate Jacoby from operation of the partnership", breaching their oral agreement and causing him emotional distress. The firm was ultimately split in two, with Jacoby operating in California and Meyers and Koff retaining offices elsewhere, primarily in New York.
By the mid-1990s, in response to competitive pressures, the firm retrenched to 150 attorneys from a high of 330 and stopped handling many of the ordinary personal bankruptcy, real estate closings, uncontested divorces and will preparation that had been its bread and butter following the firm's formation, but which had faced a market saturated with lawyers and law firms that adopted many of the innovations that Jacoby & Meyers had introduced, accepting credit card payments, charging flat fees and using computer systems to track cases. By 1994 the firm's television advertising spending dropped to $2.3 million annually, down from their spending peak at $6.4 million in 1988. The firm shifted its focus to age discrimination
, consumer fraud, product liability
and sexual harassment
, where litigation was more lucrative.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
established as a partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
by Leonard Jacoby and Stephen Meyers that used an extensive advertising campaign to build exposure and awareness of the firm, growing from a single storefront to as many as 150 offices in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Gail Koff
Gail Koff
Gail Joanne Koff was an American lawyer who became one of the lead partners in the law firm of Jacoby & Meyers, for which she helped establish a New York City office and develop a presence in the Northeastern United States....
was a third partner in the firm, holding a 20% share of the partnership.
History
The firm was founded in 1972 by Jacoby and Meyers, who had met as students at UCLA School of LawUCLA School of Law
The UCLA School of Law is the law school of the University of California, Los Angeles. It has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1950. It joined the Association of American Law Schools in 1952.- History :...
, with a single storefront location in Van Nuys, California. During the 1980s, the firm rode a wave of television advertising to expand to 150 offices in six states nationwide, focused on the Southwest and Northeast. With a strategy that focused on serving "middle-class individuals" with free consultations and flat fees for many standard cases. The local stores were staffed by general practitioners who used a company-developed system for filing and tracking each case, which could then be referred to specialized units that focused on areas such as bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, consumer law
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
, criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, divorce law and personal injury law
Personal injury lawyer
A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal representation to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence or wrongdoing of another person, company, government agency, or other entity....
. The firm had garnered much publicity for itself after holding an open house for the media at their offices, which the State Bar of California
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
deemed to be a form of advertising in breach of its code of ethics. After the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
overturned restrictions on legal advertising in the United States
Legal advertising in the United States
In the United States, advertising of services by members of the profession of law is typically permitted but regulated by state court and bar association rules....
in the 1977 case Bates v. State Bar of Arizona
Bates v. State Bar of Arizona
In Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, , the Supreme Court first allowed lawyers to advertise their services. By holding that lawyer advertising was a kind of commercial speech protected by the First Amendment, the Court upset the tradition among lawyers that it demeaned the profession as a whole for...
, Jacoby and Meyers placed their first print ad in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
the following day and aired their first television commercials just days later, making it the first firm in the United States to advertise on television.
In a 1995 lawsuit filed in Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the Superior Court located in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States....
alleging that Meyers and Koff had ignored proposals that Jacoby had made to restructure the business in the wake of declining economic conditions in the 1980s and that his partners "undertook a deliberate course of action to isolate Jacoby from operation of the partnership", breaching their oral agreement and causing him emotional distress. The firm was ultimately split in two, with Jacoby operating in California and Meyers and Koff retaining offices elsewhere, primarily in New York.
By the mid-1990s, in response to competitive pressures, the firm retrenched to 150 attorneys from a high of 330 and stopped handling many of the ordinary personal bankruptcy, real estate closings, uncontested divorces and will preparation that had been its bread and butter following the firm's formation, but which had faced a market saturated with lawyers and law firms that adopted many of the innovations that Jacoby & Meyers had introduced, accepting credit card payments, charging flat fees and using computer systems to track cases. By 1994 the firm's television advertising spending dropped to $2.3 million annually, down from their spending peak at $6.4 million in 1988. The firm shifted its focus to age discrimination
Ageism
Ageism, also called age discrimination is stereotyping of and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice, discrimination, and subordination...
, consumer fraud, product liability
Product liability
Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries those products cause...
and sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, where litigation was more lucrative.