Ethical Pitfalls: The Attorney's Use of Technology and Social Media - CD

Social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are being used more and more by people in all walks of life and professions -- including lawyers. According to the 2011 ABA Legal Technology Survey, 62 percent of attorneys use LinkedIn, 22 percent use Facebook, and 6 percent use Twitter. A total of 73 percent of respondents reported using social media sites for career development and 71 percent used them for networking.

Many ethical concerns arise when lawyers use technology or social media to enhance their practices. Some of the concerns are addressed in the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct or in court opinions, but there are issues that have yet to be tackled by the Board of Professional Responsibility or courts in Tennessee. While there are definite benefits to using social media as an attorney, if you're not careful, you could put yourself at risk.

Learn more in the all-new webinar from the publisher of Tennessee Attorneys Memo Ethical Pitfalls: The Attorney's Use of Technology and Social Media.

Your webinar presenter, attorney Marisa Lee Combs, will present an overview of what's on the horizon in terms of technology advances and social media issues affecting Tennessee attorneys.

Webinar Learning Take-Aways:

• Law practice management concerns
• Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of information
• Rule 3.6: Trial publicity
• Rule 8.4: Misconduct
• Ethical lapses by judges
• Discovery/Evidentiary issues
• And more...

About your webinar leader:

Attorney Marisa Lee Combs, an associate in Lewis, King, Krieg, & Waldrop's Nashville office, concentrates her practice in construction law and litigation, including liens, construction defects, and professional liability defense of architects, engineers, and surveyors.  Ms. Combs regularly represents contractors, owners, designers, and other members of the construction industry. 

Ethical Pitfalls: The Attorney's Use of Technology and Social Media - CD

Presented by Marisa Lee Combs, attorney with Lewis, King, Krieg, & Waldrop, P.C.

Social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are being used more and more by people in all walks of life and professions -- including lawyers. According to the 2011 ABA Legal Technology Survey, 62 percent of attorneys use LinkedIn, 22 percent use Facebook, and 6 percent use Twitter. A total of 73 percent of respondents reported using social media sites for career development and 71 percent used them for networking.

Many ethical concerns arise when lawyers use technology or social media to enhance their practices. Some of the concerns are addressed in the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct or in court opinions, but there are issues that have yet to be tackled by the Board of Professional Responsibility or courts in Tennessee.

Consider these recent social media developments that are especially noteworthy to attorneys:

• The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission commenced disciplinary action against an experienced assistant public defender who discussed her cases on her blog.
• A recent ethics opinion by the Philadelphia Bar Association held that a lawyer violates Rule 8.4 by employing a third party to go online and gain access to a person’s information on Facebook by asking to be their “friend.”
• A Florida court ruled that a debt collection agency could not use Facebook to contact a debtor.
• A recent opinion of the New York Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Ethics discussed RPC 8.4(a) and (c) and “obtaining Evidence from Social Networking Websites.”

Such cases are becoming more common as social media outlets become the new norm in both personal and workplace settings. While there are definite benefits to using social media as an attorney, if you're not careful, you could put yourself at risk.

Participate in this interactive webinar, and you'll learn about:

• Law practice management concerns
• Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of information
• Rule 3.6: Trial publicity
• Rule 8.4: Misconduct
• Ethical lapses by judges
• Discovery/Evidentiary issues
  - The “treasure trove” of evidence
  - Uses of information
• Evidentiary issues: Discoverability
• Evidentiary issues: Admissibility

Order now, and in just 90 minutes, learn the ethical challenges and solutions attorneys face when using Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media.