S.C. Supreme Court reprimands lawyer in Graniteville case

The South Carolina Supreme Court on Monday reprimanded a Louisiana-based lawyer who set up an office in South Carolina following a deadly train derailment and described himself as a "neighborhood attorney" in local advertisements. Douglas M. Schmidt, a lawyer for more than 300 people who claim they were injured after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and released chlorine in January 2005, was reprimanded for breaking several attorney conduct rules. Among other things, Schmidt sent solicitation letters claiming to be a "neighborhood lawyer" (I guess the Big Easy is in "the neighborhood" of SC on a global scale) and claimed expertise in areas where the Supreme Court awards no certification.

The Court's opinion can be found here. This is ambulance chasing at its wost. Nice way to represent the profession. Geez.