Imagine you have just discovered that a former client with past-due legal fees has posted an inaccurate and negative review of your firm on a popular social media site. They tagged your business page in the post and people are commenting and sharing the post. What should you do?
Many people’s first instinct is to act to defend themselves from these online mischaracterizations.
According to the latest research, a lot of lawyers are now using social media for career and client development,1 and you might be one of them.
As social media becomes a key means of communication and advertising within the legal field, you and your firm have a unique responsibility. Ethics committees are turning more attention to what lawyers are posting online, but this
Do you know how what social media ethics guidelines your firm should follow? People’s willingness to disclose personal information on social media can be particularly helpful in the discovery phase of litigation. Snooping on opposing parties, witnesses or jurors through social media can provide a treasure-trove of information that might have once taken a private investigator months to obtain. However, lawyers need
More and more, scammers are targeting lawyers by sending forged emails to law firms, clients and financial institutions. These wire fraud scams typically involves a compromised email account, which can be the lawyer’s, the client’s or even the bank’s. Scammers monitor the account to uncover pending transactions, such as a real estate purchase, a loan or the settlement of a lawsuit.
At the
Respected security professionals have compared email to postcards written in pencil—they can be viewed or altered by third parties easily.
Hackers are targeting law firms to steal sensitive client information more and more. A security breach can diminish your firm’s reputation and can also have serious legal and financial ramifications.
It is also ethically required for attorneys to take reasonable measures to safeguard information
Browsing through your inbox, you notice that the check from the insurance carrier you recently settled a claim with has arrived. Imagining all the wonderful things you can do with your portion of the proceeds, you pick up the phone to call your client and ask her if she wants to stop by the following day and pick up her portion. “How
Email has become the preferred method of communication for corresponding with colleagues and clients. Although writing an email is easy, lawyers need to avoid email pitfalls. By avoiding the common errors discussed below, your emails will remain effective and professional.
It is essential to do a thorough review of an email before sending it to the
Withdrawing from a case usually comes from irreconcilable differences between attorney and client. The manner and means of terminating that relationship can affect the likelihood that a malpractice claim will be presented.
First, know and follow the procedures applicable in your jurisdiction. Many states, like California, provide in their own Rules of Professional Conduct when withdrawal is mandatory and when it is permissive.