THE ETHICS OF LEGAL MARKETING AND LAW PRACTICE IN A SOCIAL MEDIA ENVIRONMENT - ICLEF 2014

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Many attorneys shy away from SOCIAL MEDIA, exclaiming “I don’t have time for FACEBOOK - I didn’t talk to those people when I was in high school anyway.” or “I don’t understand the big deal about TWITTER - why do I need to know what my cousin’s son ate for breakfast? What’s a TWEET anyway?” Those attorneys are missing a huge opportunity!!! The effectiveness of both client development and retention is dependent upon the mastery of solid networking and communication skills - online and otherwise. This session will introduce attendees to the basics of Web 2.0 with the objective of taking the mystery out of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blawging and more!

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Presented by Cynthia Sharp• Professional CLE Speaker• Attorney Business Coach

The ethics of legal marketing & law practice in a social media

environment

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Event Sponsor:

FeaturingCynthia Sharp

The Sharper LawyerMarch 13, 2014Indianapolis, IN

@thesharperlawyer

Preliminary Thoughts

•I would be really happy if we could cover the following:

•I decided to attend “Social Media” because:

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Wake Up To Social Media!

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Attorneys Using Social Media

15%43%

56%

Quadrupled in 2 years!

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Attorneys Using Social Media

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Legal Tech Survey Report

Attorneys Obtaining Clients Through Social Media

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Legal Tech Survey Report

The Cultureist

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•2,405,518,376 Worldwide Internet Users•78.6% North Americans on Internet•Over 1 billion Social Network Users

@thesharperlawyer

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Facebook Friends

Cynthia Sharp

Bruce Steiner Ron Fatoullah

@thesharperlawyer

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Facebook Friends

Cynthia Sharp

Bruce Steiner Ron Fatoullah

@thesharperlawyer

Facts About

•100% of Fortune 500 Companies Have Executives on Linkedin

•238 Million Members

•Every Second - 2 New Member Joins

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@thesharperlawyer

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1.6 billion search queries

500 million tweets

@thesharperlawyer

Social MediaPractical Applications

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• Marketing• Practice Area• Develop Internal Social Media

Policy• Compliance Procedures• Criminal Defense• Civil Litigation• Litigation/Research Tool

@thesharperlawyer

Social Media

•New Case Law

•Interesting Ethical Issues

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@thesharperlawyer

Digital Immigrant orDigital Native?

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@thesharperlawyer

Social Media as a Marketing Tool

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STRATEGY

BRAND

PROFILE

EXECUTION

@thesharperlawyer

Information About Legal Services• Protected Form of Commercial

Speech• Subject to Rules 4-7.1 - 7.5

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

American Bar AssociationFormal Opinion 10-457

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@thesharperlawyer

Free Commercial Speech or Regulated Attorney

Advertising

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

blawgsearch.justia.com

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

• Endorsement Feature• “Specialties” Field• “Answers” Section

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

Use Common Sense!

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

www.lextweet.com

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@thesharperlawyer

Research Tool

Write down 3 ways that you use the internet to

research

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@thesharperlawyer

www.jdsupra.com

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@thesharperlawyer

Citation Forms Developed

Rittman, S. (Spring 2008). Don’t Use the “R” Word. Retrieved on January 25, 2011 from www.mo-legal-ethics.org

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@thesharperlawyer

legalonramp.com

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@thesharperlawyer

Litigation Tool

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@thesharperlawyer

Mining Information•Vetting Jurors

•Pretexting (“Friending”)

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@thesharperlawyer

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@thesharperlawyer

Internet Research by Jurors

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@thesharperlawyer

Discovery•Warn clients not to discuss their case

online•Standard Applied: Reasonably calculated to

lead to discovery of admissible evidence•Notice to produce

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@thesharperlawyer

Technical Revolution - Ethical Evolution

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@thesharperlawyer

Confidentiality Notice

This electronic transmission and any attached documents or other writings are confidential and are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) identified above. This message may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure under applicable law. If the receiver of this information is not the intended recipient, or the employee, or agent responsible for delivering the information to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, reading, dissemination, distribution, copying or storage of this information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender by return email and delete the electronic transmission, including all attachments from your system.

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@thesharperlawyer

Ethical Evolution•Terminology•Competence•Confidentiality•Communication•Duties to Prospective

Clients•Receipt of Erroneously

Sent Document•Supervision of

NonLawyer Assistants•Advertising

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@thesharperlawyer

TerminologyMRPC 1.0 Terminology

(o) Writing or Written

Comment 9 to MRPC 1.0 {Screening}

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@thesharperlawyer

“To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology, engage in continuing study and education and comply with all continuing legal education requirements to which the lawyer is subject.”

- Comment 6 to MRPC 1.1 (as amended)

Competence

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@thesharperlawyer

Redaction Issues

Long gone are the days when the attorney duty of confidentiality imposed by Model Rule 1.6 was satisfied by maintaining a fireproof steel locked filing cabinet behind a secured office door. The technological revolution has taken us beyond the world of desktop computers with a dedicated server to the stratosphere of cloud computing and the genius of smartphones and electronic tablets.The portability of our “second brain” results in additional ethical responsibilities that must not be ignored. Lawyers’ obligations have radically changed in light of the methods by which confidential client and personal information is now carried and stored.

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@thesharperlawyer

Data Disaster

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@thesharperlawyer

Duty of ConfidentialityMRPC 1.6

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@thesharperlawyer

Communication“... A lawyer should promptly respond to or acknowledge client communications.”

- Comment [4] of MRPC 1.4 (as amended)

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@thesharperlawyer

Duties to Prospective Clients

“...[a] person becomes a prospective client by consulting with a lawyer about a client-lawyer relationship with respect to a matter”.

- Comment 2 to MRPC 1.18 (as amended)

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@thesharperlawyer

Does a Communication Constitute a Consultation?

•Did the lawyer encourage or solicit inquiries about a proposed representation?

•Did the person encounter any warnings or cautionary statements that were intended to limit, condition, waive or disclaim the lawyer’s obligations? Were those warnings or cautionary statements clear and reasonably understandable?Did the lawyer act or communicate in a manner that was contrary to the warnings or cautionary statements?

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@thesharperlawyer

Receipt of Erroneously Sent Documents

Lawyer receiving electronically stored information that he or she knows or reasonably should know was sent inadvertently must  promptly notify the sender of the mistake (Model Rule 4.4(b)) 

Duty to notify extends to metadata. (Comment 2)

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@thesharperlawyer

RecommendedMetadata Scrubbers

Metadata Assistant: http://www.payneconsulting.com/products/metadataretail/

iScrub: http://esqinc.com/section/products/2/iscrub.html

Workshare Protect: http://www.workshare.com/products/wsprotect/

Metadact: http://www.litera.com/Products/Metadact%AE.aspx

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@thesharperlawyer

Do You Secure PDF Files Before You Transmit?

Suggested Office Policy: “When there is no legitimate reason to transmit an editable document, we will always send SECURE PDFs.”

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@thesharperlawyer

You Cannot Delegate Ethical

ResponsibilitiesModel Rule 5.3 requires attorneys who outsource work to non-attorneys to “make reasonable efforts to ensure that the non-lawyers’ services are provided in a manner that is compatible with the lawyer’s professional obligations”.

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@thesharperlawyer

Attorney Advertising RulesLawyers may pay Internet-based lead generators for generating client leads, as long as the lead generator does not “recommend” the lawyer.   (MRPC 7.2, Comment 5)

Only a “target communication initiated by the lawyer” directed to a “specific person” that “offers to provide” legal services is a solicitation. Communications to the general public, including Internet banners, are not solicitations. (MRPC 7.3)

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@thesharperlawyer

“A lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client.”

Comment 2 - “A lawyer's work load must be controlled so that each matter can be handled competently.”

Rule 1.3

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Diligence

@thesharperlawyer

www.evernote.com

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@thesharperlawyer

www.pomodorotechnique.com

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@thesharperlawyer

Law Firm Social Media Policy

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@thesharperlawyer

Online or In Line•Keep client confidences•Avoid appearance of establishing

client-attorney relationship•Be polite•Don’t fight•Don’t bad mouth law firm, colleagues

or judges.

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@thesharperlawyer

Moving Forward•Did you learn anything new today?•Did you gain any insight into yourself or

someone else?•Do you plan to change any of your behaviors

as a result of today’s session?

@thesharperlawyer

Evaluations

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@thesharperlawyer

@thesharperlawyer

Connect with Cindy

like us follow us follow us share with us

The Sharper Lawyer

connect with us

@thesharperlawyer

The Sharper Lawyer now offers

a complimentary half hour coaching session.

Email Cindy for more details!

cindy@thesharperlawyer.com

@thesharperlawyer

Thank You

The Sharper Lawyerwww.thesharperlawyer.com