Lawyers embracing social media
According to research conducted for LexisNexis, 86 percent of lawyers under the age of 35 are members of social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace. Among lawyers age 46 and older, a surprising 66 percent are members of social media. Obviously, the role of social networks in marketing a law practice cannot be ignored.
These stats were cited in an article that appeared in Sunday's The New York Times. The article has received a lot of attention because it discusses the situation of a lawyer who was reprimanded and fined by the Florida Bar Association for an intemperate blog post.
All of those lawyers -- younger and older -- who are now using social media would to well to remember that publishing is publishing. The ethics requirements governing the conduct of lawyers don't change just because you are online. Use social media -- but do not publish anything there that you would not publish in a magazine or newspaper.
