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January 21, 2010

"Los Angeles Lawyer" In A Bad Case of First Impression

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The Los Angeles Lawyer sure knows how to make a "good first impression". I've received 2 emails from them today. In each they are trying to hock structured settlement consultants to advertise in a March 2010 Los Angeles Lawyer publication about cashing in your structured settlement and then they either (1) engage in credential puffery or (2) show abject ignorance about the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant designation.

Here is the solicitation:

"LOS ANGELES LAWYER, the official publication of the Los Angeles County Bar Association with more than 25,000 members, offers you a special advertising opportunity.  A feature story in the March 2010 issue is titled “Cashing out of Structured Settlements.”

 

To quote:

 “Most structured settlements are designed by professional consultants who are themselves licensed. More than 550 individuals have been certified as Structured Settlement Consultants, pursuant to a National Structured Settlement Trade Association’s (NSSTA) program. This professional program trains licensed individuals to assist insurance companies, banks, and other institutions with organizing and running structured settlement programs. The licensing program, a joint effort between the NSSTA and the University of Notre Dame School of Law, has included instruction in needs-based evaluations, tax implications, special needs trusts, guardianship rules, loss reserving, Medicare set asides and claim valuations. After completing the course an individual may be licensed as a Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC).”

 This is an excellent opportunity to promote your expertise in structured settlements!"

 Comments:

  1. What self respecting structured settlement consultant wants to promote a "cash now pushers" agenda?
  2. The Certified Structured Settlement Consultant professional designation IS NOT a licensing program!
  3. The designation is conferred by the National Structured Settlement Trade Association in cooperation with the University of Notre Dame Executive Education program, NOT the University of Notre Dame School of Law.  There's a huge difference!
  4. Once again the CSSC is a professional designation program not a license!
  5. Surely the Los Angeles County Bar Association has the resources to get it right.

Pugly The Flying Structured Settlement Watchdog

 Where has Attention to Detail Gone?

Long Time Passing

Where has Attention to Detail Gone?

Financial Lit. They Blow

Where has Attention to Detail Gone?

Get with the program everyone!

Oh When will they ever learn?

Oh When will they ever learn?

(to the tune of "Where have all the Flowers Gone?")

 

Posted at 05:27 PM in "Los Angeles Lawyer", Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC) NSSTA, Los Angeles CA Structured Settlements, Misinformation About Structured Settlements, National Structured Settlement Trade Association, NSSTA, Settlement Advertising Wall of Shame, Structured Settlement Information, Structured Settlement Watchdog®, Structured Settlements in California |

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Guide to Structured Settlements 2025

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Why Take a Structured Settlement?

  • A structured settlement provides financial security for personal injury victims, wrongful death survivors, and their families by establishing a stable foundation. Each structured settlement features a negotiated, customized stream of payments that can offer long-term, tax-free income for several years or even a lifetime. Unlike other income annuities, a structured settlement annuity can include multiple payment streams, payable in varying amounts at different times and over different periods, to address diverse needs within a single contract. Last updated July 5,2025

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