Ethical Use of Social Media in Law Practice

Course Materials: Conference recording and a PDF of the PowerPoint slides.

Description: In 2018, the import of social media as a transformative technological, cultural, and political phenomenon is no longer in dispute. Nor has the law been immune from its impact. Indeed, under various state professional codes, lawyers are subject to an ongoing duty of competence to keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with technology such as social media. Social media can be a valuable investigatory and marketing tool for legal professionals. Its use can also pose risks to legal professionals and their clients.

This session focuses on compliance with key ethical principles applicable to legal professionals when using social media. It covers the origins of those principles and describe their ongoing evolution, as well as how those principles apply to specific social media activities in personal and professional spheres, using real-world examples drawn from case law and industry press. This session concludes with takeaways to guide the use of social media — explaining how to avoid the ethical pitfalls of communicating and researching on social media, while making appropriate use of the resources it affords. 

Course Year: 2018