It looks like congratulations are in order for Brent Coon.
How do we know? Because Brent Coon told us so. Not directly, of course, but through his publicity firm, The Beaumont Enterprise.
The editors at the Enterprise do not officially act in the capacity of press agents for Coon, but they might as well. He sends a press release and they print it, verbatim.
They don't try to hide their sloth or servility. They freely acknowledge that the puff piece being run on Coon's behalf was provided by him and in no way altered to challenge or interpret his self-promotion, or provide balance or context.
The most recent example:
U.S. News & World Report has named Beaumont-based Brent Coon & Associates a Best Law Firm of 2016.
Firms included in the list "are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers," according to a news release from the law firm.
Brent Coon & Associates previously was named Best Law Firm in 2014.
"To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the US," according to the release. "Over 12,000 attorneys provided over 330,000 law firm assessments, and almost 7,000 clients provided close to 20,000 evaluations."
Brent Coon & Associates was founded in 2001 and now has multiple satellite offices around the country and hundreds of associated firms in various practice areas.
The less than enterprising editors might want to read the article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal three years ago, citing Coon as an exemplar of the double-dipping asbestos attorney.
They also might want to explain why they neglected to mention that three major insurance companies recently filed a $19.5 million suit against Brent Coon & Associates and others for failing to reimburse them for settlements when asbestos trusts subsequently paid out to the same clients.