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Sixth AnnualIn-House Counsel
Conference
Panel 5Avoiding a Bar Complaint
from your BFF
22
PresentersAntone Johnson, Principal, Bottom Line
Law GroupJohn Lipsey, Vice President, Corporate
Counsel Services, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
Jason Romwell, General Counsel, InsuranceLeads.com
Cortez Smith, Senior Legal Director, Yahoo! Inc.
Moderator - David S. Cohen, Director of Legal Affairs and Risk Management, Angels Baseball LP
33
Best Practices Tips for Attorneys in Social Media
John Lipsey
44
Best Practice 1Join a lawyer-only online site to
network/collaborate with legal peers - Research shows primary reasons
Question: What do you think are the top advantages of participating in an online legal professional network? Select up to three.
Corporate Counsel
Note: Item names have been shortened for display purposes
55
Best Practice 2Use Google Alerts or other reputation
aggregation tool to monitor the InternetThe
conversations are happening whether you are a part of them or not.
Opportunities await those who listen.
Enormous risks await those who don’t.
66
Best Practice 3Understand your goals in participating
in an online network and vet the network accordingly
Be cautious when:The site allows legal advice to be offeredThe site’s Terms and Conditions do not respect
your privacy, or will sell or rent your contact information
Company or entity creating the site is vague or unidentified
Site allows solicitation and spamming There is no authentication process following a
registration to ensure member identitySite allows anonymity Lacks robust privacy and communications
settings
77
Best Practice 4Your online profile is Your Public CV, so
do it rightThis is how employers, colleagues, and
peers research your skills and qualifications
Keep it clean, keep it real, and make sure it’s complete
Lack of online networking presence means you are “invisible.”
88
Best Practice 5Growing your network provides
immediate business benefits “We have a new matter in an unfamiliar jurisdiction.
Whom do I hire?”… “Whom do I know who can give me the inside scoop on my opponent?...”Search for lawyer based on practice area,
region, firm, etc. Review profile for relevanceRead articles/cases published by prospective
lawyerReview rating and client reviewsInstant referral via common connectionsDue diligence Selection decision
99
Best Practice 6When online, segment your audience
using public, private or confidential groupsFind “Relevant” Colleagues
Common interestsNarrow peer groups into smaller, more focused
clusters Enables “deep dives” into subject matter with
trusted colleaguesGroups are Focused and Intimate
Introduce yourself to the group and offer brief background
Participate frequently and offer ideas, questions and insights
Be helpful and pro-active
1010
Best Practice 7Extend the “footprint” of your current
networking activities by leveraging them online“What are you working on” feature
(LinkedIn)Use to promote or market ideas or activities
Drive traffic to your blog and presentationsBlog, Slide share, comments feed
Articles you’ve writtenImportant published decisionsOrganizations and committeesPro bono workCharitable work and community
involvement
1111
Best Practice 7Use all aspects
of the profile opportunity to demonstrate your thought-leadership so when others look you up, you stand apart
1212
Best Practice 8Leverage
online lawyer ratings and client reviews to vet outside counsel
User-generated reviews provide members reliable lawyer recommendations from other corporate counsel clients who have actually used an attorney’s services
1313
Best Practice 9When engaged online, truthfulness and
transparency are essentialBe transparent and clear in identity and
intentionAdhere to ethical rules and guidelines
governing counselYOYOW - You own your own wordsBe responsive and trustworthyFinish what you start Value and create thought leadership
1414
Best Practice 10Eight minutes per day is all it takes to
fully engage onlineSpend 5 minutes a day scanning RSS
feeds, blogs and emails1 second to check reputation alert, topic
or company key word alert5 minutes to respond-- if need be -- to a blog
post or social media entrySend email to author of great article – invites
to connect if she responds
1515
Best Practice 10Log into professional network every few
days for about 8-10 minutesConnects to 1-3 people every few visitsWrites a personalized email to 1-2 connectionsScans forums or blogs
Comments briefly or posts a messageOnce or twice a month (at least) – write
or co-writes a blog entry or post content you’ve already created (article, presentation, case, etc.)Twitter new blog postPost blog on network profileRSS sends blog entry automatically to all
subscribersRespond to comments
1616
COMPANIES/LAW FIRMS AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE
BY EMPLOYEES AND ATTORNEYS
Cortez Smith
1717
SOCIAL MEDIA USE What should companies/law firms do
when employees/attorneys use social media to talk about their companies/firms?
1818
SOCIAL MEDIA USE Approaches
No specific policyTotal ban?Social Media Policy/Guidelines
1919
SOCIAL MEDIA USECommon social media guidelines
Protect company confidential/proprietary information
Respect third party IP rightsTruthful statementsNo offensive statementsMedia contacts/inquiries
2020
Social Media and IP
Antone Johnson
2121
Social Media and IPSocial media provide endless
opportunities for employees and companies to get into troubleIP infringementConfidentiality breachesLoss of trade secret protectionDefamationHarassment and discriminationAntitrust violations, unfair trade
practices, etc.
2222
Social Media and IPLaws do not keep pace with rapidly
evolving usage patternsFour years ago, Twitter didn’t existFacebook access was restricted to
students until late 2006Google Wave? Gravity? What’s next?
2323
Social Media and IPSocial media present unprecedented
challenges to the enforcement of IP rights
Mistakes can be costlyUp to $150K statutory damages per
occurrence for copyright violationsAttorneys’ fees, defense costs, court
costs, etc.In June 2009, Jammie Thomas-Rasset was
found liable for $1.92 million damages in a case brought by RIAA for illegally sharing 24 songs
2424
Social Media and IPWho is most likely to get sued?
Hint: Plaintiffs’ lawyers work on contingency!
Most rank-and-file employees are judgment-proof
Most companies have substantial assets and/or insurance policies
Case law re: vicarious liability is developing, but who wants to be the case of first impression?
2525
Social Media and IPSafe harbors apply to operators of UGC
sites, not usersCopyright: DMCA Section 512 notice and
take-downEverything else: CDA Section 230
immunityGood for them, but what about the rest
of us?Trade secret protection can be lost by
disclosure
2626
Social Media and IPEvery company, regardless of industry,
needs a social media policyPolicies mean little unless they are
realistic, enforceable in theory, and enforced in practice
Every employee with computer access should be educated about the basics of IP and online liability
HR and/or IT departments should emphasize as part of new hire orientation
2727
Social Media and IPTips for crafting an effective social media
policy:Keep it short so people will actually read itFlexibility by functional area/business unit is
essentialEverything starts with good judgment and
oversightWhen in doubt, check with your manager or Corporate
CommunicationsAssume all statements made through social media are
made to the entire worldAvoid any references to confidential or proprietary
informationMaintain a clear boundary between personal and official
communications
Clarify ownership of IP created in or for social media
2828
Social Media and IPOriginal content is king; post only your
own wordsWhen referring to other content from
around the Web, link to it rather than copying
Attribution is key; many IP claims are motivated by credit rather than economics
Steer clear of risky content (music, videos, photos) unless original
For brand and content owners, monitoring social media can be an effective tool for enforcing their own IP rights
2929
Spying on your Potential BFF
(or Using SM to Investigate Employment Candidates)
Jason Romrell
3030
A Wealth of Information…
3131
Consider this unlikely scenario:
3232
Consider this unlikely scenario:
3333
Potential ProblemsEthics Violations
MRPC 4.1Lawyer shall not knowingly make false
statements of material fact or law to a third person…
CA B&PC 6068(d)Lawyer must employ…means only as are
consistent with the truth…CA B&PC 6101
The commission of any act involving moral turpitude, dishonesty or corruption…constitutes a cause for disbarment or suspension.
3434
Potential ProblemsEthics Violations
MRPC 8.4Misconduct for a lawyer to violate the RPC,
knowingly assist or induce others to do so, or do so through the acts of another…
CRPC 1-100Gives the State Bar Board of Governors power
to discipline lawyers for a willful breach of any of the CRPC.
CA B&PC 6128Lawyer is guilty of misdemeanor who…is guilty
of any deceit or collusion, or consents to any deceit or collusion…
3535
More Potential ProblemsDiscriminationInvasion of PrivacyTerms of Use ViolationsCriminal ViolationsBad Hiring DecisionsEmployee MoraleReputation (your and your client’s)
3636
Potential SolutionsHave a written policy on using SM for
background purposes.Follow your policy…consistently.Keep accurate records (electronic
discovery will make “hiding” your tracks difficult).
Don’t be stupid.Consider what purpose your investigation
will fulfill, then limit your search accordingly.
Don’t forget people are people.Some people lie about themselves. Some
people lie about other people. Do you know the difference?
3737
Potential Solutions
Don’t do anything you wouldn’t be proud to openly and completely share with others.
Be “transparent” (but don’t breach any confidences).
3838
30 Ethics Tips in 30 Minutes
Antone JohnsonJohn Lipsey
Jason Romrell Cortez Smith
3939
Mr. RomrellUnderstand the tools…or get the
heebie jeebies
4040
Mr. LipseyAsking subordinate employees to hand
over passwords to sites in order to review what other employees are saying about your brand constitutes “coercion,” and therefore permission is not “authorized” according to the Stored Communications Act (Houston’s Restaurant Case)
4141
Mr. JohnsonSocial media provide endless
opportunities for employees or counsel to make damaging admissions - this can come back to bite you
4242
Mr. SmithDo not disclose confidential company
business or client matters in your online profile, blog or comment post
4343
Mr. RomrellDon’t be a Twittiot
4444
Mr. LipseyLinkedIn “Testimonials” may constitute
“advertisements” in California and therefore subject to ABA Model Rule 7.2 governing lawyer advertising
4545
Mr. JohnsonCommunications regarding your
location can cause an inadvertent violation of the attorney’s duty of confidentiality (Rule 3-100)
4646
Mr. RomrellDon’t defame (also known as “yes, SM
counts as published”)
4747
Mr. LipseyUsing third parties’ passwords to
access social networking site in order to obtain impeachment evidence against a witness is unethical (Philly Bar Assn. Prof. Guidance Comm.)
4848
Mr. JohnsonWhen addressing legal subjects in
blogs, forums, or sites such as Avvo.com, take care to phrase discussions in terms of offering general legal information rather than legal advice to avoid inadvertent formation of an attorney-client relationship
4949
Mr. SmithCheck if your company or law firm has
a social media policy and if so, make sure you comply with it
5050
Mr. RomrellDon’t allow employees to play dirty
5151
Mr. LipseyBe honest and transparent about your
identity online at all times
5252
Mr. JohnsonData sharing can blur the boundary
between personal and professional on-line conduct
5353
Mr. SmithIf you form an online business with a
non-lawyer, do make sure that none of the business involves the practice of law
5454
Mr. RomrellBeware the pitfalls of using pretexting
as an investigative technique – good old fashioned investigative work not allowed when using Social Media tools
5555
Mr. LipseyWhen monitoring employees online
behavior and punishing them for policy violations, punishments must be meted out even handedly to all employees engaged in similar infractions
5656
Mr. JohnsonCommunications which would
otherwise be protected by attorney-client privilege or attorney work product doctrine can lose the privilege if other parties are included in the communication
5757
Mr. SmithDo not provide anonymous legal advice
in online comment posts or chat rooms
5858
Mr. RomrellPrivacy Rules!
The general rule is that you should not disclose anything that a “reasonable person” wouldn’t want disclosed. What does your company want (or not want) disclosed?
5959
Mr. LipseyLegal advice given online to
unsophisticated non-professionals could inadvertently create attorney-client relationship and resulting ethical obligations
6060
Mr. JohnsonThe duty of confidentiality can be
compromised in many ways if an online social networking service is used to communicate with coworkers or co-counsel
6161
Mr. SmithDo not use copyrighted material (i.e.,
photos, text, etc.) in your online communications without permission of the copyright holder or licensor
6262
Mr. RomrellGuess what…the elements of
negligence don’t change just because you’re on a Social Media site
6363
Mr. LipseyUsing hypotheticals and eliminating
any explicit or implicit references to client names are important to ensuring “safe” online communications
6464
Mr. JohnsonGeographic boundaries are nonexistent
online. Formation of a long-distance attorney-client relationship can result in the unauthorized practice of law in a state in which you are not admitted to the Bar
6565
Mr. SmithIf you are using social media to attract
clients, do retain for two years a true and correct copy of your written communication or recording (i.e., video or audio)
6666
Mr. RomrellCan you inadvertently contract (or
modify a contract) through a Social Media site? Yes.
6767
Mr. LipseyJust because ethics rules and the law
would allow you to deal with negative online activity directed at you or your company – it doesn’t mean you should use those methods (e.g., cease and desists)
6868
Mr. RomrellWhen a Friend is not a Friend (even if
they follow you, invite you or otherwise stalk you)
6969
Questions?
7070
Contact InformationAntone Johnson, Bottom Line Law
Group(310) 776-5484,
[email protected] Lipsey, LexisNexis
(323) 662-0399 , [email protected]
Jason Romwell, InsuranceLeads.com(800) 647-2164 Ext. 192,
[email protected] Cortez Smith, Yahoo! Inc.
(310) 907-2713, [email protected]