Ethical Concerns of Internet Communication
Abstract
The use of the internet by attorneys - through websites, social networking, and blogging - has increased dramatically in recent years. This increased use raises a host of ethical issues. In this ethics column, we examine cases and ethics opinions and analyze the following issues: Internet usage creating inadvertent attorney client relationships and inadvertent prospective clients; duties of competency and confidentiality while using the Internet; prohibitions against false statements and contacting represented parties; and limitations on using the Internet for trial publicity and criticizing judges. We conclude that the increasingly public nature of social networking venues and blogs make discovery by ethics authorities increasingly likely, and the permanence of the electronic records eases enforcement. The primary lesson for lawyers: if you wouldn't do or say something off the Internet, don't do or say it on the Internet.
Keywords
ethics, professional responsibility, ABA Model Rules, ethics opinions, internet, blog, social media, websites
Publication Date
2013
Document Type
Article
Publication Information
27 (4) Criminal Justice 45 (2013)
Repository Citation
Joy, Peter A. and McMunigal, Kevin C., "Ethical Concerns of Internet Communication" (2013). Faculty Publications. 1676.
https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications/1676
