May I Market My Law Practice with Donuts?
The advice from a recent South Carolina Bar Association opinion: “Eat up.” See S.C. Bar Ethics Adv. Op. 15-02. That answer came in response to an opinion request from a firm …
May I “Clean Up” My Client’s Social Media Pages in Advance of Litigation?
Yes, but don’t destroy any evidence. A 2015 Florida State Bar Association ethics advisory committee addressed whether a lawyer may advise a client to “clean up” social-media pages in anticipation of …
The Duty of Confidentiality Protects Even Publicly Available Information
The Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct of the California State Bar has issued an advisory opinion addressing the scope of a lawyer’s duty to refrain from disclosing potentially …
Should Lawyers Reconsider Confidential Email Communications?
No, but it’s a question worth asking. The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas recently considered whether a lawyer should continue using email for client communications in …
New Ethics Opinion Addresses LinkedIn “Endorsements”
A new advisory opinion from New York addresses “[t]he ethical implications of attorney profiles on LinkedIn.” See N.Y. County Lawyers Association Professional Ethics Committee, Formal Op. 748 (Mar. 10, 2015). …
Is it Unethical to Call Another Lawyer Unethical?
This Iowa State Bar Association addressed this question in a recent ethics opinion. See Iowa Ethics Op. 14-02 (Oct. 24, 2014).1 The committee noted that making unfounded allegations of misconduct is …
Can a Lawyer Respond to a Client’s On-Line Criticism?
Two recent bar association advisory opinions address whether a lawyer can disclose confidential information when responding to a client’s on-line criticism. See New York State Bar Assoc. Ethics Op. 1032 (Oct. 30, …
When Is “Blogging” By a Lawyer Subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct?
Under what circumstances is “blogging” by a lawyer subject to the requirements and restrictions of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct? A recent formal opinion by the California State Bar Standing …
“Facebook Friends, This Lawyer is The Best”
If your client posts a favorable review or comment about you on a social media platform that you control, must you take it down if it does not comply with …
May a Lawyer Advise a Client to Take Down Harmful Facebook Posts?
In Formal Ethics Opinion 5 (July 25, 2014), the North Carolina State Bar addressed a lawyer’s obligation to advise a civil client about social media use. It concludes that a …