A New Lawyer Award! Hooray!

I was excited to open my email and find an invitation to pay up for a bullshit trophy (or classy piano-black plaque) celebrating my selection as an "Elite Lawyer."  Boy, this sure looks cool:

Aside from the generic form picture and absence of any mention of in which of my many practice areas I've been recognized as "Elite" (fingers crossed it's Bird Law!), the statement that I've "received this email because [I'm] registered with Elite Lawyer" and a button to unsubscribe crushed my dreams.  I'm afraid this just might be another bullshit vanity scam and I'm just average after all...

That said, Elite Lawyer does have at least a passable website.  As for selection criteria:

The Elite Lawyer Award

Only the most outstanding and experienced attorneys receive the Elite Lawyer award. A prestigious nomination which is presented only to legal professionals who are able to meet or exceed its demanding criteria, it sets these exceptional attorneys apart from their peers and gives consumers added peace of mind when using our directory to search for a top-notch attorney in their area.

The award criterion requires that all attorneys recognized as an Elite Lawyer:

• Hold a membership with a nationally or locally recognized legal association or firm;
• Have attained honors, results, or credentials that indicate a high degree of peer recognition and/or professional competence;
• Have a high level of legal experience;
• Have maintained a clean record; and
• A history of high profile cases or favorable settlements that display a commitment to both the legal profession and their clients.

I did a bit more digging and, eventually, found a physical address for this wonderful organization: 5239 Thatcher Road in Downers Grove, Illinois.  It looks legit:

Ah, the classic business synergy of vanity pay-to-play lawyer awards and home chair lifts.  Go capitalism!  Now, Google does say this picture is from late 2019, so maybe there's a new tenant.

A Google search of the address alone lists a few possible tenants, one of which is OVC Lawyer Marketing, which appears to be an assumed name of OVC, Inc., an Illinois corporation created in 2013 and run by Gregory Wildman.  Another listed tenant is Anderson & Associates, an Illinois family law firm.  And, wouldn't you know it, the managing partner is an Elite Lawyer:

So, this Wildman character is, unsurprisingly, not a lawyer, but a SEO salesman focusing on the legal industry and, his website looks an awful lot like Anderson's...:

So, a SEO salesman operating out of a light industrial unit conveniently located either in or next door to "Elite Lawyers" (and possibly a home chair lift store) in Downers Grove is the newest player in preftigioius legal awards.  

I sent an inquiry with only my (fictitious) name, email address, and phone number for a local fish taco shop asking to become an Elite Lawyer.  I'll keep you all posted on whether Calvin Jurdon gets an invite.

In the meantime, who falls for this shit and isn't it misleading advertising for lawyers to hawk their services based on an award they know is phony?