Gingersnap
09-29-2010, 10:39 AM
'Want a Jewish lawyer?' advertisement ruffles S. Florida attorneys' feathers
Some are concerned ad plays on stereotypes
Controversial Lawyer Ad
http://i56.tinypic.com/2uq1y6t.jpg
The Jewish American Bar Association caught the attention of local attorneys with a bus bench ad outside the Broward County Courthouse. The ad has been removed. (David Shulman, Courtesy / September 27, 2010)
By Jon Burstein, Sun Sentinel
1:01 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2010
When you go to court, do you want a Jewish attorney representing you?
That's what a new Boca Raton business called the Jewish American Bar Association hopes, offering to connect people with legal problems to Jewish lawyers. The business has caught the attention of some attorneys in South Florida who are offended by its advertising and worried people may think it's a concerted effort by Jewish attorneys to play on stereotypes to get clients.
The Jewish American Bar Association first caught the attention of local lawyers this month with an advertisement on a bus bench near the Broward County Courthouse that exclaimed "Prefer a Jewish lawyer!" and offered the business' phone number.
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Social worker Lisa Spitzer said she came up with the idea of the Jewish American Bar Association, incorporating the business last year. She said it acts as a legal referral service for people who are more comfortable having a Jewish attorney.
"If an all-women's medical group posted an ad 'Prefer a woman gynecologist?,' would that be offensive?" said Spitzer, who is not a lawyer.
She acknowledges the group has only three members in South Florida. She said she would allow a non-Jewish attorney to sign up for the referral service "if his heart was in accordance with our goals and purposes."
The Jewish American Bar Association's website had a post office box in Boca Raton listed as the address of its main office until the Sun-Sentinel began making inquiries. The website now just says to "send all inquiries" to the post office box.
Spitzer's business took down the bus bench ad after Fort Lauderdale attorney David Shulman complained about it on his blog.
Shulman said he was taken aback when he first saw the bench ad, calling it "shockingly stupid."
I'm not sure I get the "shockingly stupid" part. Women do prefer female gynecologists and medical practices advertise that perk. People do prefer that Indian cooking is performed by South Asians and not by Swedes. Out here, Vietnamese accountants are highly regarded. Christians have their own "yellow pages" so you can deal only with fellow Christians when getting your furnace repaired, if you want. Native Americans have passed laws to ensure that certain types of jewelry are made by Native Americans and not by otherwise talented silversmiths of Bulgarian descent. How is this different?
Sun-Sentinel (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-do-you-want-a-jewish-attorney-20100927,0,5931617.story)
Some are concerned ad plays on stereotypes
Controversial Lawyer Ad
http://i56.tinypic.com/2uq1y6t.jpg
The Jewish American Bar Association caught the attention of local attorneys with a bus bench ad outside the Broward County Courthouse. The ad has been removed. (David Shulman, Courtesy / September 27, 2010)
By Jon Burstein, Sun Sentinel
1:01 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2010
When you go to court, do you want a Jewish attorney representing you?
That's what a new Boca Raton business called the Jewish American Bar Association hopes, offering to connect people with legal problems to Jewish lawyers. The business has caught the attention of some attorneys in South Florida who are offended by its advertising and worried people may think it's a concerted effort by Jewish attorneys to play on stereotypes to get clients.
The Jewish American Bar Association first caught the attention of local lawyers this month with an advertisement on a bus bench near the Broward County Courthouse that exclaimed "Prefer a Jewish lawyer!" and offered the business' phone number.
Stay on top of the news: Get breaking new alerts sent directly to your phone
Social worker Lisa Spitzer said she came up with the idea of the Jewish American Bar Association, incorporating the business last year. She said it acts as a legal referral service for people who are more comfortable having a Jewish attorney.
"If an all-women's medical group posted an ad 'Prefer a woman gynecologist?,' would that be offensive?" said Spitzer, who is not a lawyer.
She acknowledges the group has only three members in South Florida. She said she would allow a non-Jewish attorney to sign up for the referral service "if his heart was in accordance with our goals and purposes."
The Jewish American Bar Association's website had a post office box in Boca Raton listed as the address of its main office until the Sun-Sentinel began making inquiries. The website now just says to "send all inquiries" to the post office box.
Spitzer's business took down the bus bench ad after Fort Lauderdale attorney David Shulman complained about it on his blog.
Shulman said he was taken aback when he first saw the bench ad, calling it "shockingly stupid."
I'm not sure I get the "shockingly stupid" part. Women do prefer female gynecologists and medical practices advertise that perk. People do prefer that Indian cooking is performed by South Asians and not by Swedes. Out here, Vietnamese accountants are highly regarded. Christians have their own "yellow pages" so you can deal only with fellow Christians when getting your furnace repaired, if you want. Native Americans have passed laws to ensure that certain types of jewelry are made by Native Americans and not by otherwise talented silversmiths of Bulgarian descent. How is this different?
Sun-Sentinel (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-do-you-want-a-jewish-attorney-20100927,0,5931617.story)