Lawyers & Social Networking
An article in today’s New York Times talks about what can happen when lawyers open up online. The article begins with the story of Sean Conway. Attorney Conway took to his blog to state exactly how angry he was with a Fort Lauderdale judge. He said she was an “Evil, Unfair Witch.” But because Conway is a lawyer, his online ranting resulted his being reprimanded and fined by the Florida bar.
Of course, lawyers aren’t the only ones whose livelihood is affected by their online postings. There’s this, and this, and this. Having one’s online activity be the basis of dismissal has increased so much that a new phrase – “Facebook fired” – has entered our lexicon.
But being a lawyer means something more. Lawyers have long been held to a higher standard of conduct than other members of society. As the New York Times article points out, your “freedom to gripe is limited by codes of conduct.” Thus, criticizing the court or revealing client details online – even if the lawyer thinks she’s veiled the true subject – can cause trouble for a lawyer because she runs the risk of violating rules of professional responsibility.