You Can’t Stick Your Head In the Sand – Attorneys Need to Understand Social Media

When it comes to social media, and the impact of Facebook, Twitter and other sites on the practice of law, lawyers can no longer merely stick their heads in the sand and feign ignorance. As the New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled, “Attorneys must acquaint themselves with the nature of social media to guide themselves and their non-lawyer staff and agents in the permissible uses of online research. At this point, attorneys cannot take refuge in the defense of ignorance.” This conclusion is consistent with opinions by many ethics committees.

In this episode of The Legal Tech Podcast, attorney Daniel J. Siegel, Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility, discusses opinions by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and ethical guidance from the Pennsylvania Bar Legal Ethics Committee and the Philadelphia Bar Association Professional Guidance Committee, affirm that lawyers must recognize the importance of social media to their clients and their practices. They can no longer claim ignorance and stick their heads in the sand.

Attorney Dan Siegel is the principal of the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC and president of Integrated Technology Services, LLC, and represents attorneys in disciplinary matters, and provides ethical and techno-ethical guidance to attorneys and law firms. This is the second episode of his firm’s Legal Tech Podcast.