PRESENTED BY: Nicole Black

Co-author | Social Media for Lawyers--The Next Frontier Co-author | Criminal Law in New York Author | Cloud Computing for Lawyers

Legal Technology Evangelist | MyCase.com | web-based law practice management

The Ethics of Using Social Media For Marketing

SOCIAL MEDIA

It’s not a fad

SOCIAL MEDIA FACTOID #1:

Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web

porn

Source: Socialnomics.com

SOCIAL MEDIA FACTOID #2:

If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s largestworld’s largest

SOCIAL MEDIA FACTOID #3:

Every second 2 new members join LinkedIn2

Lawyers cannot afford to be left out of the loop

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?

BE CURIOUS AND LEARN

TWITTER FACEBOOK LINKEDIN

THE PLATFORMS

! " #

The power of SEO

Are lawyers and

businesses using social

media?

Your competitors are using social media:

•39% of lawyers have obtained clients from blogging

•24% of all lawyers maintain law firm blogs

•96% of lawyers have LinkedIn profiles

•52% of law firms maintain a Facebook page

•19% of law firms have a Twitter presence

* ABA Tech Report 2015

* Social media is useless without goals

DETERMINE YOUR GOALS

• Network and build relationships

• Locate information to support your practice

• Showcase your expertise

• Find clients

• Make it easy for people to find you (SEO)

• Obtain speaking engagements and media mentions

Multi-task

•Keep up to date on news & generate web presence at the same time

•Meet Feedly, your new best friend

Text

Catch up on news relevant to you in a magazine-like, easy to read format

Easily read and share articles and blog posts on your social networks

* Social and professional networking are not mutually exclusive

Stand out from the crowd

50% - links to online content 30% - conversation with others 10% - self-promotional

The Social Media Formula

Take off your lawyer hat

Think before you act

Remember: Don’t drink and tweet!

* The Ethics of Social Media

Sometimes the online world will feel like a maze

A lot of people will tell you what you can’t do.

Social media simply changes the medium, not

the message

Avoid false or misleading

information information

______________

[ABA Model Rule 7.1]

• Lawyer Advertising [ABA Model Rule 7.1]

Lawyer Advertising: Is it or isn’t it?

Is it advertising? If so, a disclaimer may be required.

Distinction: Informational v. Promotional

DON’T Unintentionally create an attorney-client

relationship

(ABA Model Rules 1.2, 1.4, 1.16, 4.4)

(New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics

 Opinion 899 (12/21/11))

Best practices: Keep responses general

Provide information rather than advice Use disclaimers

NO Disclosing confidential information

[ABA Model Rules 1.6(ABA Model Rules 1.6, 8.3)]

NO Improper contact with parties [ABA Model Rule 3.5 (b) & (c)]

NOImproper client solicitation

[ABA Model Rule 7.3]

?Stating a “specialization”

(ABA Model Rule 7.4)

• Stating a “specialization” [ABA Model Rule 7.4]

DON’T BE THAT GUY

YOUR OPPONENTS ARE USING IT. SO

SHOULD YOU. SOCIAL MEDIA IS FOR KIDS!

BE CURIOUS. LEARN. THINK.

IMPRESS YOUR COLLEAGUES.

IMPRESS YOUR CLIENTS.

IMPRESS YOUR KIDS!

BE PREPARED. $

$

$

The more you learn, the more you know.

Thanks for listening!

Nicole Black Legal Technology Evangelist

MyCase.com | web-based law practice management

www.nicoleblackesq.com @nikiblack on Twitter

Author and co-author of: