Saiontz and Kirk

By Byron Warnken, on April 30, 2013

Saiontz and Kirk is part legal marketing company, part law firm.

Don’t get me wrong, Saiontz and Kirk has experienced lawyers.  In fact, in taking a look at some of the most experienced car accident lawyers in Maryland, you will find multiple S&K attorneys at or near the top of the list.  In addition to car accident cases, the firm has had good success in workers’ comp cases as shown here.

There are two name partners of the firm, presumably Donald Saiontz and Harvey Kirk.  The firm was a merger of their original injury law firm and that of Steven L. Miles’s firm, though Miles is no longer with the firm.  In addition to the elder Saiontz and the elder Kirk, there are four sons listed as partners on the firm website.  Other lawyers with the firm, as gleaned from the Case Search database include James MacAlister and Stanley Katz

With at least eight lawyers listed, why is Saiontz and Kirk more legal marketing company than law firm?  It’s not simply because of their massive advertising spend in the Baltimore metro area.  You cannot watch local TV or drive behind a bus without seeing Ryan Saiontz‘s mug.  It’s also not because it’s commonish knowledge in the Maryland legal community that they refer out quite a few cases.

It’s because of LinkedIn.  Looking at the list of Saiontz and Kirk employee job titles is revealing.  Settlement clerk, litigation paralegal, attorney, receptionist and even intake representative are all pretty normal for a law firm.  However, independent writing and editing professional is not something you hear at every law firm.  “Lead manager” is not either.  “Referral department manager” is certainly not a common job title at a typical law firm.

As an aside:  Ultimately, and this is just opinion, lawyers referring to other lawyers is a good thing.  Workload and expertise are better balanced with a healthy referral community.  Moreover, lawyer referrals is not new.  Systemizing referrals is relatively new, however.  It was a phenomenon that is somewhat a product of lawyer advertising, which did not become acceptable until 1977.

With enormous advertising spends, a healthy referral network, and a large volume of cases for their own attorneys, I think Saiontz and Kirk raises an important question for the legal consumer/potential client…

Is it good to have a lawyer with a large volume of cases?

It cuts both ways, of course.  A lack of experience is a big risk when hiring a lawyer.  No one can claim there is a lack of experience in car accident cases among S&K attorneys.  However, at some point, large case volume spreads attorneys thin, unable to give enough attention to each individual client.  Is this the case with Saiontz and Kirk?  I have no idea.  Call them and find out.

The statistics on Injury Lawyer Database are excellent for determining experience.  And although better at determining experience, still excellent for getting a general sense of results obtained for clients.