When a lawyer gets hit by spammers, expect a lawsuit

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Nail Them

I am employed as the Director of Research & Technology for a law firm. I without question endorse litigation of folks who hijack email and web addresses.

One can complain that lawyers are looking to "line their pockets." This is true only to the point that most are looking to make a living. Lawyers pretty much have only one thing to "sell" and that is their time and expertise.

What this spammer did cost real time and real dollars. The spammer used bandwidth, that was not theirs. The email for the law firm crashed, that disrupted the practice of a trade, in this case law. In many states that is a criminal and civil offense.

The clean up of the problem is also a very serious expense. The hours contacting clients and explaining what happened. This most likely included not only attorney time, but support staff time; not only people like myself, but secretarial and other support staff. Support staff get paid no matter what, however I can assure you that in a law firm there is no "free time." Most likely overtime pay was involved. That can quickly become very expensive.

This incident cost not only goodwill, but real dollars. The law firm, as would any other business or individual affected by such a stunt, deserves to be compensated for the costs involved. The law firm in this case did nothing to induce the spammer using property that was not theirs to use. That is theft. That in most states is a criminal offense.

While you may not like lawyers they are a business. You may not like thier business, that is fine, but the same rules apply for everyone. This law firm is not creating new law, he is seeking to enforce existing law, that is their right. In the same situation you would have that same right too.

Posted by: drichards1953   Posted on: 06/02/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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