Briscoe has offered more than 60 tips since he began his Facebook page, “L. Scott Briscoe’s Free Legal Tips” in February 2014.
“All the tips I have provided have all come from actual cases I have worked,” Briscoe said. “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Briscoe said it has been fun to see his legal tips go viral.
“I’ve been on The Chive, College Humor and Huffington Post,” he said. “It’s fun to Google my name now.”
Briscoe said he started his page when he noticed kids were always taking pictures and posting them to Facebook when they were trespassing and other crimes.
“Do not post photos of yourself committing crimes A, B, and C,” his first legal tip states. “They will become State’s Exhibits 1, 2 and 3.”
Briscoe said he started putting them on his personal Facebook page until someone suggested he put them on their own, separate page.
“She suggested it so that way they would all be in one place and you wouldn’t have to scroll through my Facebook to see them all,” he said.
Briscoe said since going viral, people have now shared their own tips and their own stories with him.
“I get so many stories and tips now,” he said. “They’re all fun to read.”
Briscoe said he has also been contacted by an agent to make a book proposal.
“So, that’s what I am working on now,” he said. “I have 20 years of tips I can put in the book.”
Briscoe said he has enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame.
“It’s been fun. It has given me some notoriety around town,” he said. “I have been tagged in Facebook posts by classmates from college and high school.”
Briscoe offers tips such as, “When using a friend’s urine in an attempt to pass a drug screen, drug test your friend first.”
“Do not ask the victim with a restraining order against you for a ride to court for a hearing to determine whether you have violated your restraining order,” he wrote in another.
Briscoe said he waits a while after a case is finished before posting a tip on his page, always making sure that those involved are not identified by their actions.
“When facing charges for stealing an ATV, do not wear your ‘Drive It Like You Stole It’ t-shirt,” he wrote.
Briscoe has practiced in Danville for nearly 20 years as a criminal defense attorney.
