Legal Research

Ethical use of social media

By Pamela

An article in the February-March ABA Young Lawyers Division newsletter touted the benefits of social media (such as Facebook & Twitter) to  a law practice.   The author uses social media to enhance his practice and to stay connected with family and friends in spite of the demands of a busy legal practice.  The uses he mentions do not seem to raise any ethical red flags.  But he did not mention using social media to discover facts about people, such as opposing parties or witnesses.

A recent post on the RIPS (Research instruction and Patron Services) blog highlighted some of the ethical issues that might arise through the use of social media as fact-finding tools.  The post links to a Philadelphia Bar Association’s advisory opinion and several discussions of “how far a lawyer can go to access information found on social networking sites.”

On the other hand, the law might offer some desirable enhancements to social media.  For a look at what would happen if one of the most popular social networking sites added an essential legal research tool, go here: http://www.courtoons.net/index.php?s=Shepardizing.

[PRM]

Full post as published by Cocky Law Blawg on January 27, 2010 (boomark / email).