Random lawyer letter puzzle!
August 26, 2020 3:53 PM Subscribe
I received an odd letter from what appears to be a legit law firm that I have never heard of, thanking me for something I never did for someone I don't know. Now I have many questions.
Today I received a hand-written, hand-dated letter in a hand-addressed envelope from a local law firm. The letter says, verbatim except for [stuff in brackets]:
"Squid [my shortened informal first name],
Thank you for your kind referral of Jane Doe (your friend's mother) and her friend, Susan. I hope I can help them with their [widget] cases. -MessySignature" [underneath which is a rubber stamp of the attorney's first name in a bold fancy font]
Paperclipped to the letter were the attorney's business card and a photocopy of a 20-year-old article out of a local legal publication discussing [widget] cases.
Here's the weird parts:
I have never heard of this law firm nor the attorney who sent it.
I don't know a Jane Doe nor a Susan.
I have one known friend whose (very common) last name is Doe but their mother's name is not Jane, and friend doesn't know anything about it.
I don't know anyone involved with [widgets] nor have I ever personally referred anyone to any kind of attorney.
The note wasn't on official firm letterhead but a personalized notepad of the attorney. It was sent in what appears to be the firm's standard printed envelope. The contact info on the business card, notepad, and envelope match the firm's online presence; I've vetted them as legit to my own satisfaction (even checking domain registration history, etc.) so there's not really any red flags there. There's nothing in the correspondence that suggests an expectation of return contact.
So... WTF? I really want to know how my name and address came up, and I'm just looking for a sanity check from the hive before sending an e-mail to the attorney and asking them about it. Has anyone encountered anything similar? Given this is a law firm, am I risking anything by engaging in a polite curiosity response to try to solve the mystery?
Today I received a hand-written, hand-dated letter in a hand-addressed envelope from a local law firm. The letter says, verbatim except for [stuff in brackets]:
"Squid [my shortened informal first name],
Thank you for your kind referral of Jane Doe (your friend's mother) and her friend, Susan. I hope I can help them with their [widget] cases. -MessySignature" [underneath which is a rubber stamp of the attorney's first name in a bold fancy font]
Paperclipped to the letter were the attorney's business card and a photocopy of a 20-year-old article out of a local legal publication discussing [widget] cases.
Here's the weird parts:
I have never heard of this law firm nor the attorney who sent it.
I don't know a Jane Doe nor a Susan.
I have one known friend whose (very common) last name is Doe but their mother's name is not Jane, and friend doesn't know anything about it.
I don't know anyone involved with [widgets] nor have I ever personally referred anyone to any kind of attorney.
The note wasn't on official firm letterhead but a personalized notepad of the attorney. It was sent in what appears to be the firm's standard printed envelope. The contact info on the business card, notepad, and envelope match the firm's online presence; I've vetted them as legit to my own satisfaction (even checking domain registration history, etc.) so there's not really any red flags there. There's nothing in the correspondence that suggests an expectation of return contact.
So... WTF? I really want to know how my name and address came up, and I'm just looking for a sanity check from the hive before sending an e-mail to the attorney and asking them about it. Has anyone encountered anything similar? Given this is a law firm, am I risking anything by engaging in a polite curiosity response to try to solve the mystery?
You might accumulate some karma by calling them and mentioning the error so they can correct it. Might get you nothing, but it won’t take long and on the off chance you need a small thing from a legal professional later, they might be able to help you out. But I don’t see a threat here in doing so.
posted by mhoye at 4:35 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 4:35 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
Referrals are worth their weight in gold to private practitioners, and it's common practice to say thank you in some form or another to someone who has referred a client. That letter sounds a little old-fashioned - the standard in my area these days is emails/phone calls, with cards at Christmas - but it doesn't set off any alarm bells. I suspect that the previous commenters are right, and that you've mistakenly received a letter intended for someone with the same or similar name.
It's also possible that there is no such person. It's a funny little thing, but in my experience clients who find a lawyer through a Google search, online reviews, etc., are sometimes reluctant to say so, either because it seems too casual/unprofessional on their part or because they think that they will get better service or a better rate if the lawyer thinks they have a personal "in." As a result, I've had real, paying clients tell my office they were referred by people whom I'm fairly certain did not actually exist, or did exist but had never heard of me. Bluntly, it could be that Jane Doe named a random name that happened to be yours. Since that name was not in the law firm's client database (because it wasn't a real client), they used the phone book or whatever to look you up.
posted by ZaphodB at 5:14 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
Referrals are worth their weight in gold to private practitioners, and it's common practice to say thank you in some form or another to someone who has referred a client. That letter sounds a little old-fashioned - the standard in my area these days is emails/phone calls, with cards at Christmas - but it doesn't set off any alarm bells. I suspect that the previous commenters are right, and that you've mistakenly received a letter intended for someone with the same or similar name.
It's also possible that there is no such person. It's a funny little thing, but in my experience clients who find a lawyer through a Google search, online reviews, etc., are sometimes reluctant to say so, either because it seems too casual/unprofessional on their part or because they think that they will get better service or a better rate if the lawyer thinks they have a personal "in." As a result, I've had real, paying clients tell my office they were referred by people whom I'm fairly certain did not actually exist, or did exist but had never heard of me. Bluntly, it could be that Jane Doe named a random name that happened to be yours. Since that name was not in the law firm's client database (because it wasn't a real client), they used the phone book or whatever to look you up.
posted by ZaphodB at 5:14 PM on August 26, 2020 [12 favorites]
It's probably advertising disguised as a "personal" correspondence, if the area of law is something like personal injury, family law, DUI, immigration, or real estate.
posted by stowaway at 7:04 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by stowaway at 7:04 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
I am a lawyer but IANYL.
There are hundreds of ways for people and companies of all kinds, to get lists of names and addresses. This seems like a simple business development letter.
Since you don’t recognize the situation, it may be a scam, or may be a misunderstanding on your part or theirs.
However, you say they are not asking you for anything, so it’s fine for you to leave it alone (it’s not a subpoena or anything).
The point is that you shouldn’t respond unless there is some good reason to. You don’t owe them anything. The risk is that if you respond, you may get more (unwanted?) contact.
If you really want to know more, do your due diligence (ask around and look on the internet) and then call them. But I think that would be a waste of time.
posted by banishedimmortal at 11:10 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
There are hundreds of ways for people and companies of all kinds, to get lists of names and addresses. This seems like a simple business development letter.
Since you don’t recognize the situation, it may be a scam, or may be a misunderstanding on your part or theirs.
However, you say they are not asking you for anything, so it’s fine for you to leave it alone (it’s not a subpoena or anything).
The point is that you shouldn’t respond unless there is some good reason to. You don’t owe them anything. The risk is that if you respond, you may get more (unwanted?) contact.
If you really want to know more, do your due diligence (ask around and look on the internet) and then call them. But I think that would be a waste of time.
posted by banishedimmortal at 11:10 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
Has someone gifted you something like a remote escape room game, or something from Mysterious Package Company?
posted by samthemander at 11:27 PM on August 26, 2020
posted by samthemander at 11:27 PM on August 26, 2020
It's probably advertising disguised as a "personal" correspondence, if the area of law is something like personal injury, family law, DUI, immigration, or real estate.
This would be extraordinarily unethical, and they would be risking their license if they engage in sending fraudulent letters to advertise their business. For that reason, I doubt this is the case. (But if it turns out to be, I wouldn't hesitate to report them to the local bar association / attorney licensing authority.)
posted by Pfardentrott at 11:02 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
This would be extraordinarily unethical, and they would be risking their license if they engage in sending fraudulent letters to advertise their business. For that reason, I doubt this is the case. (But if it turns out to be, I wouldn't hesitate to report them to the local bar association / attorney licensing authority.)
posted by Pfardentrott at 11:02 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: My curiosity got the best of me. I e-mailed the attorney and asked what was up. The response was... short: "very sorry my mistake wrong address".
Now I'm left wondering more - did this person know only the address of the referral and looked it up? I'm very confused. But following up more isn't going to solve it I think. Letting this one go. Thanks for all the input!
posted by SquidLips at 3:22 PM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
Now I'm left wondering more - did this person know only the address of the referral and looked it up? I'm very confused. But following up more isn't going to solve it I think. Letting this one go. Thanks for all the input!
posted by SquidLips at 3:22 PM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kickingtheground at 3:59 PM on August 26, 2020 [14 favorites]