Articles Posted in Ethics

In Technology and Ethics: Online Marketing and Networking, GPSolo Magazine October/November 2010, JD Supra Founder Aviva Cuyler, presents some excellent ethical considerations for legal professionals using online marketing tools and strategies.

Search, social media, content publishing, open discussion forums…each is an opportunity to grow your reputation and practice in th direction your passions lead.

Yet, this new transparency also carries with it the very real potential for the opposite: myriad opportunities (digitally documented) to run afoul of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Worse yet, missteps not only travel with lightning speed across the web, they remain forever archived.

Marketing your law firm’s professional reputation online must include careful considerations on professional ethics. Unethical, distasteful, and misleading representations of your law firm online are both bad for business and risky in terms of your standing with your state bar.

Recently, the American Bar Association released a formal opinion on lawyer websites. While the opinion may not be conclusive in terms of compliance in your state, it does provide some excellent guideposts for developing a law firm website that both serves public visitors to your site, as well as, meets some of the general rules of professional responsibility.

Spend some time considering what warning and disclaimer language makes sense for your firm. Be sure to include language regarding communications through your website especially as they pertain to confidentiality.