Social Media Ethics for Attorneys (Update)

Social media continues to be everywhere. It is used by individuals and businesses to communicate, investigate, advertise, and store electronic information (ESI) - and attorneys and law firms are no exception, except that social media use by attorneys must be considered in terms of the ethical rules which govern attorney conduct.

These ethical rules impact the competence of attorneys who use social media, attorneys advertising through social media, whether and how legal advice may be given on social media, review and use of evidence derived from social media, communicating with clients through social media, researching jurors through social media and reporting on juror misconduct, and communicating with judges through social media. This session will explore how the rules of professional conduct address these topics.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss how the Rules of Professional Conduct apply to attorney use of social media
2. Recognize ethical issues that might arise when attorneys use social media for various reasons
3. Appreciate how attorneys might use social media to their benefit while avoiding ethical problems