Almost every attorney and law firm utilizes numerous online resources to provide legal information to the public and advertise services to potential clients. However, while numerous attorneys and firms rely on websites and social media to grow their businesses, many don’t give a second thought to the fact that their online activities could run afoul of the ethical rules on attorney advertising. Firm websites, Facebook, Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, Quora and other social media platforms all pose significant ethical risks for lawyers who may be inappropriately or even inadvertently advertising to or soliciting clients online.
The following Model Rules will be discussed:
- Model Rule 7.1 – false & misleading communications, required disclaimers
- Model Rule 7.3 – solicitations
- Model Rule 4.4 – transactions with persons other than clients
- Model Rule 8.4 – integrity of the profession
In this legal ethics course, attorney Ken Matejka points out the ethical issues created by your online content and shows you how to fulfill your ethical duties when advertising and offering legal information on your law firm website, social media websites and other online resources like AVVO and Yelp. The five main topics that Ken discusses include false & misleading communications, solicitations, required disclaimers, privacy policies and eliciting online reviews. To access the course please click here – A Tangled Web: Ethical Issues Created by Your Online Legal Content.
Additional issues covered in this CLE course:
- Providing legal information/legal advice
- Case results
- Specialists
- Guarantees
- Establishing the attorney-client relationship online
- Online Q & A websites
- Contingency fees & costs
- ABA Formal Opinion No. 10-457
- Recommended elements for a valid disclaimer
- Recommended placement for disclaimers
- Unencrypted email & the attorney-client privilege
- The integrity of the profession
Ken Matejka is a California attorney and a former member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral and Information Services (LRIS). For seventeen years, he worked at the Lawyer Referral and Information Service of the Bar Association of San Francisco and in 2006, co-founded LegalPPC, an Internet Services Company dedicated to helping lawyers and lawyer referral services get more clients from Google. Ken has been a regular presenter at events like the ABA’s Annual LRIS Workshop and for attorneys across California on the topic of online visibility and lead generation for the solo practitioner’s law practice. LegalPPC currently provides Internet services to about 20 bar associations and a large number of law firms nationwide.
This CLE course is offered in the following states:
- Alaska (AK)
- Arizona (AZ)
- California (CA)
- Connecticut (CT)
- District of Columbia (DC)
- Illinois (IL)
- Maryland (MD)
- Massachusetts (MA)
- Michigan (MI)
- New Hampshire (NH)
- New Jersey (NJ)
- New York (NY)
- North Dakota (ND)
- Pennsylvania (PA)
- South Dakota (SD)
Attorney Credits offers continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys in California and around the country. For more information about CLE in California please click the following link: CA CLE.