A while back I wrote an article about what I believed to be a scam; “shooter’s insurance.” I guess it really depends on what you call a scam.
Do the work
I did some research and what I discovered only validated my original opinion. Before people start asking me which organizations I spoke with do your own damn research. This is part of the problem, people want the easy solution, they want stuff feed to them. They don’t want to put in the time or work for themselves. They would rather someone else handle it for them, does this sound familiar with what’s wrong with our country right now? You need to figure out whether these scams, I mean organizations, are the best thing for you or are better alternatives available for your situation.
The final product
So, what is the big deal here, why am so bothered about this subject. It really boils down to the final product and why I believe this is a scam. You pay either a monthly or annual premium for various services, but the service you are really there for is the lawyer. I mean let’s face it, you may have to sit in jail rather than be able to post bail. That would suck, but if you have a rookie lawyer your jail time might be a whole hell of a lot longer, like a lifetime. When I was speaking with these organizations one of the most difficult questions for them to answer was defining “vetted”. They are quick to comment on having a group of vetted lawyers who will fight for you, but what does vetted really mean?
The naked truth
After several rounds of questioning about their vetting process the representative handed over the “local” lawyer in the organization who would represent me if I had to call them at Zero-Dark-Thirty. Only problem, he didn’t reside in my city, he was at least a couple hours away. Didn’t leave me with the warm and fuzzy as depicted in their video. My questions were specific, what experience do you have trying self defense cases. I’m not interested in how many cases you have tried over all, I’m interested in the ones you tried relevant to my case. I’m not intersected in how many criminals you represented and got off on technicalities. I’m interested in the true self defense shootings and the verdict reached. What I learned is they are not as forthcoming with this type of information request, which makes it more difficult.
Proverbial batting average
Another way to look at it is you are looking for the Derek Jeter of self defense lawyers. The guy who has been at bat several times and has a great on base average. The guy who has been around for a while, a veteran of the game in other words. Now, here is the harsh reality. When you go with these insurance organizations you have no idea who is going to represent you. Your lawyer will be “assigned” to you after the incident. You will be meeting them for the first time after the fact so your ability to get these answers may be a moot point. How warm and fuzzy are you feeling now? It should seem obvious the importance to these questions in advance, to know your money is truly going to benefit you when you need it the most. You want the confidence your lawyer is not just competent, but a badass.
Are these organizations scams, it depends on your perspective. No amount of “peace of mind” will replace the fact your lawyer is not going to jail for your actions.
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." Sun Tzu, Chinese Military General and Tactician
