The horror stories of legal professionals getting into hot water over questionable content on their social media pages are boundless. Posting incriminating photos or casually sharing bad advice can get you suspended or slapped with a fine. The Florida Board of Bar Examiners investigates social media pages for evidence of behavior that reflects poorly on the legal profession and other states are beginning to follow their example.
With that in mind, and with an already long workday, you might be wondering why you would even bother engaging with social media. But there are several good reasons to get you online and start making a network.
The first is marketing. Most clients come by referral and word of mouth; by joining professional networking groups you are promoting your business for free. Making connections with fellow attorneys means that they might send clients needing your specialty to you.
The other reason for joining is sharing in a knowledge base. The legal field is forever changing and what might have held true a year ago might have a different answer today. By joining professional networks, you can engage in forums and through chat.
So what do you do when you are on there?
7 Basic Social Media Dos and Don'ts for Lawyers
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Do Establish Your Brand
Create a personal page for yourself that has high security settings and a public page for your firm. Remember that everything lives on the Internet forever, so don't post anything objectionable or incriminating.
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Do Share
Share credible articles, blogs, and news to your pages. Don't spam people with requests to use your services.
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Don't Add Everyone
Be careful who you add as a personal friend and keep a close watch over the people that "like" your page. Facebook doesn't know how many fake accounts it has, but estimates put it close to 83 million.
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Don't Share Advice
Never, ever share casual legal advice on any social media site. This is a huge violation and can be a major headache for you.
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Don't Post about a Case
Like #4, never, ever post about a case that you are working, complain about a client, or a judge.
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Do Find Valuable Information
Many users never adjust the security settings on their pages and as an attorney, you can use that information in your cases. You can look for evidence for a custody or property settlement and for criminal cases.
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Do Remain Ethical
Don't try to use shortcuts to obtain case information. For example, creating a fake account to "friend" a witness, plaintiff, or defendant.
As time goes on, more and more firms are joining networking groups. Clients too are expecting their attorneys to be more and more savvy and on trend. Use social media to your advantage to promote you and your firm.
Do you have any other ways that the legal field can make social media work for them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.