back to article Lawyers sued for impersonating rival firm online to steal clients

An Illinois law firm is suing a rival it says was impersonating it online in a bid to steal clients. Motta & Motta LLC said in a filing [PDF] to the Northern Illinois US District Court that rival legal firm Dolci and Weiland had set up both a website and phone line designed to redirect Mota’s criminal and family law clients to …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Popcorn futures

    The bad guys are eating each other, and somehow that's a problem?

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Popcorn futures

      Well, there is a problem: not enough lawyers suing other lawyers. But it is start and as they get too busy suing each other, there won't be enough left to bother the rest of the world with nuisance suits.

      1. Nick Kew

        @Mark 85

        Nope. If the vortex generates more work, that in turn will feed more lawyers.

        If it were the UK, they'd get themselves a ruling that the taxpayer should fund the extra work through one of those feed-the-beast systems like legal aid. AIUI though the system is different, the US parasite has no shortage of hosts, either.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: @Mark 85

          As an IT Manager for a Solicitors practice, if this was in the UK then we wouldn't be taking this to court. Waste of time and effort.

          We would either:-

          1) Go to the Solicitors Regulation Authority and report this as a breach of the Solicitors Code of Conduct. (outcomes 8.1, 8.4, 8.5) which would probably be sufficient to get their firm closed down by the SRA or;

          2) Point out that due to their behaviour that we have the ability to get their firm closed down, and ask if they'd like to come to a settlement that involves them paying us a large lump sum and transferring the website to us in exchange for us agreeing not to do a report which would probably result in their firm being closed down.

          The main reason for point 2 is that you can never be sure what regulators or courts are going to do. While they might get closed down, they might not and would certainly be willing to go to quite some length to avoid the possibility.

  2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Are they going to act in their own defence? You know what they say about that.

    1. Nolveys
      Headmaster

      Are they going to act in their own defence?

      My understanding is that their strategy is to impersonate the plaintiffs.

      1. big_D Silver badge

        They'll try and turn up early and sit on the plaintiff side of the room and wear the same clothes and wigs, they hope that this will confuse the judge enough that he'l dismiss the case.

  3. cd

    They got a great cheap deal from their website vendor.

  4. The Nazz

    Makes a change from ...

    lawyers stealing from their own clients.

    Not that that ever happens, no sirreeee, never.

  5. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
    Pirate

    Not Just Lawyers

    Happened to a (our) realtor here, rival bought up all the other domains available & redirected them to her website, even stating that she was a senior partner\colleague.

    When taken to task by the local real Estate Board made claim it was just a joke, which was not accepted as a humorous act by the board.

    1. Kernel

      Re: Not Just Lawyers

      Yep, it's an older trick than you'd think.

      Apparently some undertaker in the US (name of Strowager) had some suspicions about the ethics of a competitor's wife who happened to work on the local telephone switchboard - but he managed to solve that problem.

      1. diver_dave

        Re: Not Just Lawyers

        Ah yes.....

        The great undertaking....

        :-)

  6. Neoc

    "...SEO-optimized ..."

    So they "...Search Engine Optimisation optimised..."?

    1. Solarflare

      Yes. Overall, it was pretty optimal.

  7. Saruman the White Silver badge

    There is an old saying ...

    A lawyer who acts for himself has a fool for a client.

  8. Winkypop Silver badge
    Devil

    Lawyer Thunderdome!

    You know it makes sense

    1. Jay Lenovo
      Coffee/keyboard

      Re: Lawyer Thunderdome!

      We've hit a critical mass.

      The prey have become so scarce, the predators have turned to cannibalism and/or running for government office.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ISTR

    I seem to recall a BOFH of this nature where the boss directed Simon to

    impersonate the competition, then the government, then PRON sites.

    Didn't end well...... [1]

    At all.....

    For the boss.....

    Have a fun Tuesday....

    DaveA

    [1] Did anyone suspect otherwise?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Let's hope Congress people get to do the same to each other and leave the world in peace for a few days. There are a lot of them there. ;)).

  11. Velv
    Terminator

    Is it just me, but do both companies sound like the type of Illinois “law” firm that would normally have a “team” that deal with this issue without recourse to the law...

    1. MiguelC Silver badge

      It's just you.

      You're welcome.

  12. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

    Not quite sure, but I get the impression that law firm A is going to make law firm B an offer they can't (and probably shouldn't) ignore.

    Concrete slippers and all that...

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