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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada lawyer who calls himself "The Heavy Hitter" in television ads is going to bat -- for himself. Personal injury lawyer Glen Lerner said he will sue in federal court to protect his right to free speech after he ran afoul of the State Bar of Nevada.
"The bar told me by calling myself 'The Heavy Hitter,' it was false and misleading because it was stating I'm the only heavy hitter," Lerner said. "It's beyond ridiculous."
Lerner, who advertises heavily on television in the Las Vegas area, said he has butted heads with the bar over several commercials, including one in which a giant phone falls on an unsuspecting litigant.
"They said it created anxiety," Lerner said. "Does the average person really believe a giant phone is going to land on them?"
Other Lerner ads show him spinning like a human tornado, generating cash for his clients, and cutting checks for his clients as an announcer screams, "Goal!"
State Bar attorney Rob Bare said about two-thirds of the 1,200 complaints the bar gets about lawyer ads per year come from other lawyers.
Bill Turner, chairman of a committee formed by the Nevada Supreme Court to examine lawyer advertising, called it difficult to weigh protecting the public with the right to free speech.
"It's a balance," Turner said. "There are the rights of a business person, and there are the rights of the public."
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