The state bar issued a stern warning Monday that ghoulish lawyers who try to make a quick buck off the Metro-North victims will be in violation of the code of conduct.
Attorneys who ambush victims and their relatives in the wake of a tragedy — known as ambulance chasers — need “to recognize the importance of respecting the privacy of the victims and their families,” said New York State Bar Association President David M. Schraver.
The commuter-train derailment — which killed four and injured 63 — is likely to spawn personal-injury and wrongful-death lawsuits.
But the bar association warned lawyers against “unwarranted solicitation of victims.”
The state courts’ conduct rule says lawyers cannot approach disaster victims or their families for 30 days after an incident, except when the law actually requires a case to be filed within that time frame.
The rule doesn’t run both ways. People who want to sue are allowed to contact lawyers any time after an incident.
The bar association issued similar warnings after a March 2011 bus crash in The Bronx that killed 15 people and following a February 2009 commuter-plane crash in Buffalo that killed all 45 aboard.
“We routinely put out statements like this in mass disasters,” NYSBA spokesperson Lise Bang-Jensen said. “It’s not because we’re aware of any issues. We like to remind attorneys of their responsibilities.”