James Sokolove

Who is James Sokolove?

James G. Sokolove is an American attorney known for advertising legal services on television. Though he was the largest legal advertiser in the United States in 2007, Sokolove's firm acts only as a lead generator and does not currently try cases.

The son of a personal injury lawyer, Sokolove was raised in Revere, Massachusetts. He received a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in 1966 and a juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1969. He also received a certificate in 1990 from Harvard Business School. When Sokolove's father was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, he took his father's place leading the family law firm. After several years, the law firm began to face mounting debts and split up. The failure led Sokolove to find a new way of gaining clients via television advertising. Sokolove's first ad, which featured a car crash filmed in slow motion, aired in 1982.

His advertising tactics were initially criticized by prominent Boston lawyers but proved successful. Overwhelmed by an influx of clients, he began referring clients to affiliate law firms for a portion of the legal fees they earned.