LOS ANGELES — Among the myriad side effects of the pandemic: a surge in billboards and bus ads for personal injury law firms.

They seem to have sprouted all over Los Angeles.

Morgan & Morgan's blue-and-yellow billboards proudly declare "Size Matters," Jacob Emrani's ads with red cursive writing direct readers to CallJacob.com, and Pirnia Law's silhouette designs say, "We didn't meet by accident." Billboards and bus ads for personal injury law firms have become a bigger part of the landscape.

Along with the entertainment industry, injury law firms dominate billboard space. According to the media intelligence company Vivvix, legal services have been among the top 10 industries featured in outdoor advertising in Los Angeles for the last decade.

Advertising experts attribute the abundance to the need to build brand awareness and market conditions brought on by the pandemic.

"There's probably more ads for lawyers now than ever," said Brian Alexander, an outdoor media strategist at Billboard Connection Los Angeles. "It has to be effective for these companies to continue doing it."

During the pandemic, Alexander said, many industries were forced to slash advertising budgets to weather the economic downturn. This meant there was more billboard space available, for a lower price.

"When the market slowed down, there was definitely an impact on billboard ad-space occupancy and rates," Alexander said. "The lawyers found opportunities in ad space that wasn't available before."

During the pandemic, personal injury lawyer James Wang was pictured wearing a mask on billboards around Los Angeles.

Wayne Cohen, founder of Cohen Injury Law Group, said injury lawyers are not immune to worsening economic conditions. The pandemic resulted in fewer car accidents, fewer in-person workplace accidents and a significant slowdown in courtrooms. But as the cost of ad space decreased, lawyers were able to take advantage, Cohen said.

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