Attorney advertising is a highly debated area of lawyer regulation that has become increasingly complex since the advent of social media.
According to the 2010 ABA Legal Technology Survey, approximately 87% of attorneys in the United States have a website, and 56% of attorneys in private practice have a presence in an online social network, compared to 15% in 2008. The potential issues that arise from social media and online advertising may, however, begin long before a lawyer is admitted to practice law. In a recent edition of the ABA’s Student Lawyer Magazine, law students are advised to act early to ensure that their online presence doesn’t lead to an ethics violation. “Even if you would never considering advertising in the traditional sense—say purchasing an ad on local TV,” warns the article, “you must be aware of how seemingly innocuous online activities might meld into advertising.”
Click here and here to read more about the impact of the internet and social media on attorneys and law students.
