A and Z Law Ads on the Train

You see a lot of things riding SEPTA trains. Some good, some bad, some out the window, some on the train. You can read, talk (but not on the Quiet Car!), look on the window, sleep, what have you. SEPTA sells ads on the trains so one option is to look at the flyers, posters, etc. advertising events, organizations, and companies. One area law firm has been buying ads throughout the SEPTA system off and on for a couple of years. Ahmad and Zaffarese, LLC initially ran an ad showcasing the two lawyers who named the firm after themselves, Wadud Ahmad and Joseph Zaffarese. They stared out at the world with sort of smiles. To me they looked like fairly serious lawyers, a little fierce even. If I saw them on the street at night I might cross to the other side. If I found myself at the table opposite them in the courtroom I would be tempted to empty my pockets on the table and room. Going by the photo I'd say these are tough lawyers, slight smiles or no.

Then the ad changed, and a waifish blonde woman joined the group. It gave the ads a Mod Squad look. I looked at their website (www.aandzlaw.com). Angie Halim was listed as a Rising Star in Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers Magazine, Rising Stars Edition and an Outstanding Practitioner in South Jersey Magazine. She has some other impressive credentials as well.

In the next incarnation of the ad only Mr. A and Mr. Z appeared. I was concerned. What had happened to Ms. Halim? I checked the firm's website again. A fourth lawyer had been added. Maybe they thought the picture was getting too crowded. The new lawyer doesn't have a photo on the firm website so perhaps he's shy. In any event they used the same photo that was in the original ad. Mr. Ahmad is wearing the same yellow gold tie. They've also added a paralegal in her last year of law school. She speaks Cambodian as well as English.

While it might seem odd to follow a law firm ad so closely, these guys (and occasionally Ms. Halim) have been staring down me over a long period of time, or at least a photo of them has. So it seems only fair that I should look back. Just to avoid any nasty emails coming my way from the aandzlaw server, let me say that my comments are in no way intended to reflect on their legal abilities -- only on ads they have posted in a public place.