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LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Weblogs. Some say that these social media sites provide lawyers brave new world of opportunities, marketing and cooperation. Others claim they are mine fields full of dangers for the unwary or unknowingly.

What is right? Both, of course. Yes, these different forms of social media powerful opportunities. Yes, they also place considerable dangers.

How can lawyers practice safe social networking? " In the spirit of the theme, weturned to social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and consultants set this question to a large number of lawyers and.

From the feedback we have received, we distilled their advice on these top 10 tips.

10. Be professional - always

Note that a lawyer 24 / 7 are. Act like one and always professional, what you do online.

This means above all to be honest, what you say about yourself, your skills and your practice. Beparticularly careful in the bio you have on your site or blog and in the profiles you create for Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites. Do not describe something you will not.

As a professional does not ask for other names online. In particular, judges do not call names. As it seems to say how funny that Florida did not laugh a lawyer after he was disciplined and fined recently for writing on his blog that the judge was an "evil, unfair witch."

Inwhat you publish online, pay attention to the privacy of your own "brand" and your own professional reputation. "Join in - become part of the conversation," advises Mark Beeson, president of the consulting firm Leadership for Lawyers in Denver. "But do not do anything that you could affect your reputation. Thinking."

9. Be nice, who you in connection with

A simple way to protect themselves in social networks is to be careful who you connect. Our story last month wasan obvious example of this in the story of the judge, the "friendly" a lawyer on Facebook, if the lawyer had represented a party in a trial before the judge. Not surprisingly, the judge was reprimanded and the losing party has a new attempt.

To avoid a further connection, is a dishonest for a purpose were made. An ethics panel said, for example, that it is inappropriate for a lawyer friend of the person to examine someone or restricted access toInformation in connection with a lawsuit.

Also, be careful to avoid connecting with others who may have their own ulterior motives in connection with you. And check if a connection could be an endorsement or return one day to you as proof pursue a conflict of interest.

"While social media content, each offers thousands of possibilities, the size of the connections matters much less than the quality of interaction," said Vanessa DiMauro, founder of the BostonSocial media consulting firm Leader Networks. "Be deliberate, make great impressions and offer value for those that you connect or interact with."

A common practice among lawyers is to separate professional and personal contacts on different networks. "I still deal with Facebook and LinkedIn separately," says Reid Trautz, director of practice and professionalism Center at the American Immigration Lawyers Association in Washington, DC "Facebook is for personal useincluding family, friends and professional friends, LinkedIn is for professional or professional connections friends ".

Joshua Masur, a partner in the law firm Turner Boyd in San Francisco, the same with Facebook LinkedIn professional but restricts connections to friends and close colleagues. "Of course, this means that you are willing to draw lines," he says, "to be ready to say no when people connect to a network, means that you askrestricted. "

8. Do not fall victim to the myth of anonymity

"I would never deceive me, that sociability" anonymous "on each of these platforms really anonymous, including commenting on blogs," warns Susan Cartier Liebel, the Connecticut-based founder of Solo Practice University.

The recent history of the Web is full of stories about the thought of busting lawyers, who they were anonymous posting. There was the Assistant U.S. Attorney who wasexposed by a major magazine as author of an anonymous blog about judges. It was the in-house attorney at Cisco, exposing their identity after a lawyer, he wrote of his patent as a reward for Troll.

These examples show that a lawyer not feel safe to say anonymously what the lawyer does not hesitate to say, with attribution.

Another dimension of this includes Facebook, where lawyers can create restricted groupsand feel safer to speak their minds. If you are considering this option, make sure you educate yourself thoroughly on how to do it properly, advises Courtney Kennaday, practice management consultant for the South Carolina Bar

Even then, she adds: "There is a strong restriction: is not limited to categories Facebook friends are among the attractions is limited to knowing very difficult to slip through the types of products and will be viewed by anyone .."

7. Watch the networking between andSoliciting

Lawyers sometimes a fine line between your opinion and walk canvassing. You have every right to do the former and a professional responsibility not to do the latter.

An ethics opinion found that a lawyer engaged in unreasonable request, if he sacrifices written comments in a chat room for mass disaster. It is easy to imagine how a lawyer could get Twitter into similar difficulties.

Several states have either ethicsRules or ethics opinions that specifically addressed the issue of the call in the electronic communication. Protect yourself by knowing the rules and common sense.

6. Exercise editorial discretion - about themselves and others

Do not say anything online that you would not even be attributed on the title page of The New York Times is. Do not assume that anyone reading your blog, or see you tweet. Once it's online, it is always online and it can and willfound.

This does not mean that not show you, personality and creativity, "says Matthias Jung, head of the Legal Department One Marketing in Houston." It's good to let your personality your audience to shine through, but it is important, as if your mother or daughter sat next to you to do. "

However, this does not forget that customers and colleagues will read what you say. Lawyers seem to sometimes forget that their customers are following them online. If youwould not say, say it to a customer's face is not it online.

Do not just read customer what you say, but they are judging from what you say. Apart from the risk of saying something stupid, it online is another potential concern for lawyers to read their customers, said Eric Turkewitz, a trial lawyer and blogger in New York City. "If you frequently off-topic during working hours, they will wonder why you work on your case."

If it is importantcensor themselves, it is also important to censor them. "If you have a blog set to approve sure all comments before they are written," advises Lorraine Fleck, a trademark lawyer and blogger in Toronto. "It was a good tip I got from a veteran legal blogger who has prevented my blog because a haven for those advertising fake Viagra."

and intellectual property attorney Ronald Coleman Blogger summarizes it this way: "Above all, accountability is key, you are. Do not say it ifnot prepared to live it or live with it. And if it's not something that can save you - as a legal proposition or a statement of fact - well, should say why you want it in the first place? "

5. Do you know your state's rules on advertising

Each state has its own unique version of the rules on lawyer advertising and prompt. Some require that copies of advertisements maintained, including copies of his websites. Others require specific disclaimers on ads.

Make sureThey understand the rules in the state in which you are licensed in each state in which your firm has an office. Keep up with ethics opinions interpreting the rules.

4. Avoid unauthorized practice

Avoid illicit practices by clarity about the geographical boundaries of their license and the geographical situation of the others with whom you communicate online calculated.

"Protection against UPL should be disclaimers in online communications are as, His license and geographical limitation of practice, "said James S. Bolan, a Boston-area lawyer, law is concentrated in professional responsibility." Do not admitted a relationship in one jurisdiction where there is none. "

Note that unauthorized practice can not only lead to the ethics charges, but also the loss of legal fees for work in accounting.

Protection against unauthorized practice is often difficult, but perhaps nowhere more than in a virtual reality environment such as Second Life. If your avatar advises another avatar, then in the jurisdiction you? They are advising the avatar or the person behind it? In what jurisdiction is this person?

3. Do not give legal advice

A significant risk online is the inadvertent creation of an attorney-client relationship. Web sites like LinkedIn or Avvo users questions and other items to post answers. Simply by answering a question, a> Lawyer may have legal advice and the formation of an attorney-client relationship.

This can even happen with a simple exchange of e-mails. A Massachusetts Ethics presented to a lawyer, the client received an unsolicited application from a prospective query by e-mail link for a site was required to to maintain the confidentiality of information representation, although the prosecutor declined to.

The best way is to consider it, not to sayeverything online, such as specific legal advice could be interpreted. If you do answer a question online, include a disclaimer saying that you are not advised.

2. Do not talk about your customers and their cases

Take the example of Ann Kristine Peshek. On her blog as a chronicle of their work public defender in Illinois, they sometimes clients and cases. Although she never used a client's last name, she now faces disciplinary charges because the authoritiessay they gave an enough information about their customers that others could identify them.

Peshek provided information on cases that some would tell her an extreme example. But even seemingly innocuous posts can be a lawyer in hot water. A simple status update on Twitter and Facebook could reveal your next step in a case where the opponent. Your tweet "Drafting Summary Judgement in the Federal Court case that I use, I" could be anything, warning the other sideNeeds.

For all but a single doctor may request this, run a conflict check before posting. you want to avoid, writes not only about your own customers, but also on each of your company to customers.

1. Use common sense

It sometimes seems to be scarce in these days, but common sense is the best way to get out of trouble. Apply to everything you do online and you can probably forget all the other rules.

"While I'm a fan of politics," saysConsultant Mark Beese, "I tend to keep to a single maxim. Do not do anything stupid"

Common sense pretty much covers all bases. It keeps you from something to tell you will regret later. It keeps you from crossing a line you should not. It keeps you from, in court in trouble with a client or on the pole.

When Ron Friedmann, a lawyer, blogger and frequent speaker on issues of non-profit practice management and technology, concluded: "Lawyers shouldTo think before they hit enter. "

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