A long-running Toronto Star investigation into personal injury attorney Jeremy Diamond’s marketing and referral practices found that he and his firm had attracted thousands of potential clients over many years and then referred them to other attorneys for referral fees. sometimes elevated. Former clients Star interviewed said they were often unaware that they had been referred or that a referral fee had been paid. The investigation also revealed that Diamond, who is described as an “award-winning personal injury attorney,” had never tried a case himself, according to his own testimony in a legal matter.
At the same time, Diamond’s marketing tactics, which have included wearing female models in tight-fitting T-shirts and listing her company as “proud sponsors” of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argos and Ottawa Senators, have drawn ire. from the Law Society of Ontario and other attorneys.
Here’s an overview:
1. Diamond and diamond under fire
It is the face of personal injury law in Ontario. On television, radio, social media, billboards, buses, and on top of Air Canada Center urinals, you will find the image and message of attorney Jeremy Diamond.
“Nothing is stronger than a diamond,” the firm’s ad reads. “Trust the name you know.”
People injured in car accidents or other accidents get the impression that Diamond, 43, is a top-notch litigator fighting for the little one.
It turns out that Diamond, described as an “award-winning personal injury attorney,” has never tried a case himself, based on his own evidence in a recent legal matter.
A Star investigation found that Diamond has attracted thousands of potential clients over many years and then has referred cases to other attorneys in exchange for sometimes high referral fees. Along the way, the firm’s marketing campaign has drawn the ire of the Law Society of Upper Canada, clients, and some attorneys.
Read the full investigation of Star’s Kenyon Wallace and Michele Henry
2. Allegations of lewd texting to assistant put Jeremy Diamond in the rough
An assistant to Jeremy Diamond complained to police that the personal injury attorney would not assign potential clients to the vet unless he wore provocative clothing, sent nude photos, or had “sexual activity” with him, according to a synopsis of the case. Toronto Police provided a Crown Attorney in 2011.
“You are only paid if Mr. Diamond gives you a client,” detectives wrote in the case synopsis.
Police, who initially acted on a complaint from Diamond, had charged the assistant with extortion. She had threatened to expose the activities of the public face of the Diamond & Diamond law firm.
After further investigation of the case, detectives changed their minds. They asked a senior Crown attorney to drop the charges against the aide, concluding instead that there was “sufficient evidence to charge (Diamond) with extortion.”
When the matter came to court, the Crown’s attorney, Michael Callaghan, dropped the charges against the aide, saying that Diamond’s conduct led him to conclude that it was not in the public interest to pursue the case against the aide. Diamond was not charged with racketeering.
When asked about the allegations against Diamond in the police synopsis, Diamond’s attorney, Julian Porter, told the Star that his client “passionately denies them.”
Read the full investigation of Star’s Kenyon Wallace and Michele Henry
3. Diamond & Diamond Says Ontario Law Group ‘Defamatory’ And Biased
The Diamond & Diamond personal injury law firm lashed out at the organizers of a recent legal ethics webinar that referenced the firm in promotional materials.
Sandra Zisckind, Diamond & Diamond’s managing attorney and wife of the firm’s public face, Jeremy Diamond, sent an email to the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) accusing her of being “defamatory” and showing “bias.”
“You are suggesting that my firm did something wrong,” Zisckind wrote to organizers, whose group represents about 1,200 personal injury attorneys. “We were unfairly attacked by the media, shouldn’t that be the story? I am disgusted by the bias you have shown here. I will decide what actions my company will take. “
An advertisement for the webinar distributed to OTLA members contained the headline: “The Media Hit Personal Injury Lawyers Hard – You Read the D + D Story.”
Organizers say the event was held to teach lawyers best practices when it comes to advertising their services.
Read the full investigation of Star’s Kenyon Wallace and Michele Henry
Four. In Advertisements From ‘Wild West’ Lawyer World, Personal Injury Firms Make Doubtful Claims
More than two dozen personal injury law firms in Ontario have one striking feature in common: They are best at helping victims of car or other accidents.
In the “wild west” world of personal injury law advertising, many attorneys will do whatever it takes to do business.
Even as a Star investigation found, they apparently violate rules designed to prevent false and misleading advertising. For example, the Law Society of Upper Canada cautions lawyers not to declare themselves “qualitatively superior” to other lawyers.
The Diamond & Diamond website claims it was “Voted the # 1 personal injury law firm in Ontario for 3 years in a row.”
Gary Mazin stamps his website with an award that reads “2014 Winner # 1 Toronto Personal Injury Lawyer”.
And until Star started asking questions recently, a website at www.bestpersonalinjurylawyertoronto.com led directly to the website of Preszler’s injury firm.
Read the full investigation of Star’s Kenyon Wallace and Michele Henry
5. Diamond & Diamond’s Lead Attorney Faces Professional Misconduct Investigation
Personal injury attorney Jeremy Diamond faces professional misconduct charges from the Upper Canada Law Society for failing to submit financial records for the firm Diamond & Diamond, law society documents reveal.
The prominent Toronto attorney – his firm’s motto is “Nothing is Harder than a Diamond” – is alleged to have failed to fully cooperate with an investigation by failing to present Diamond & Diamond’s financial books and records. You have been asked to provide records four times in the past seven months, according to the application notice in the law society case.
“An attorney who does not cooperate with an investigation interferes with the ability of the law society to carry out its mandate to protect the public,” said Susan Tonkin, spokeswoman for the law society.
In an email to the Star, Diamond’s attorney, Kris Borg-Olivier, maintained that his client has responded “in detail” to every letter he has received from the law society and that he has “cooperated with the law society throughout. the process of their investigations. ” , and we will continue with this. “
Read the story of Star’s Kenyon Wallace and Michele Henry
6. Toronto Attorney Jeremy Diamond Retracts Admission of Professional Misconduct Over Company Ads
Toronto personal injury attorney Jeremy Diamond says he intends to retract an admission of the professional misconduct charges he made earlier this week, explaining that he had not considered that his sanction would go beyond a reprimand.
“I never knew and did not contemplate that a possible sanction could exceed a reprimand here,” Diamond said during a brief Law Society of Ontario hearing Thursday. “If I had known that that was a possibility, I would never have admitted the misconduct and would have had a hearing.”
On Monday, instead of facing a contested hearing, Diamond admitted that he had improperly marketed personal injury legal services that he failed to provide and that his namesake firm’s advertisements did not “clearly and prominently disclose” that Diamond & Diamond referred to thousands of potential clients to other attorneys for fees.
Read the latest news from Star Court reporter Betsy Powell
Reference-www.thestar.com