Angry Lawyers Say Online Defendant List Gave Impression They Also Were Charged
Some Texas lawyers are worried that a list recently published by a Lubbock TV station will give potential clients the wrong impression when they search for attorney names online.
The lawyers say the list of misdemeanor defendants included the names of about 25 lawyers, but it didn’t make clear they were representing the defendants rather than facing charges themselves, Texas Lawyer reports.
The list has the word “name” at the top and the word “attorney” on the second indented line, Texas Lawyer says. Then each defendant is listed, followed by the name of his or her lawyer and the charge. The lawyers are not individually identified as such.
KCBD TV has removed the list from its website and published an apology, saying the lawyer’s names should not have been included. “This error may have led to KCBD.com users getting the impression that local attorneys were charged with various crimes when in fact they were not,” the TV station said in a statement. “KCBD regrets the error and apologizes for any confusion it may have caused.”
Lubbock solo Stephen Hamilton was among the lawyers mistakenly included on the list. Next to his name was his client’s charge of “deadly conduct,” the story says. He’s worried that taking down the list hasn’t solved the problem.
“When it gets out in the public stream, …. it’s very hard to get that back,” he told Texas Lawyer. He worries he’ll lose potential clients because of the error. “If they search for my website and it comes up that I’ve been charged with deadly conduct, do you think they’re going to call me?” he asked.
