Attorney suspended on several grounds, including breach of confidentiality to respond to clients’ online criticism

A Colorado attorney was suspended from the practice of law for 18 months on several grounds, including answering to clients’ criticism on line, disclosing confidential information. By way of background: a couple retained lawyer to provide his services in a post-marital issue. Although clients signed a fee agreement, they were not fully explained the terms of payment. […]

Lawyers may not disclose confidential information while responding to former clients’ criticism

On October 30, 2014, the Committee on Professional Ethics of the New York State Bar issued Opinion 1032 providing guidelines on how lawyers could respond to former clients’ critical commentary on the web. A former client had “unfairly characterized the firm’s representation of the former client on a website that provides reviews of lawyers”  but he […]

Lawyers may advise clients to remove not material information from their social media pages as long as an appropriate record is preserved

On January 23, 2015, the Professional Ethics Committee of the Florida Bar issued Florida Proposed Advisory Opinion 14-1 providing guidelines for lawyers advising clients to “clean up” their social media pages not material to litigation. The Committee warns that “What constitutes an ‘unlawful’ obstruction, alteration, destruction, or concealment of evidence is a legal question, outside the scope […]

Supreme Court, New York County grants permission to serve summon thorough Facebook

On March 27, 2015, the Supreme Court, New York County granted permission to serve a divorce summons using exclusively a private message through Facebook. In this matrimonial action, the issue before the court, by way of plaintiff-wife’s ex parte application, was whether she may serve defendant-husband with the divorce summons solely by sending it through Facebook by […]

Areas of practice and endorsements may transform lawyer’s LinkedIn profile into advertisement, says NYCLA Formal Opinion 748

On March 10, 2015, the New York County Bar Association (NYCLA) issued opinion Formal Opinion 748 to offer guidance on whether a lawyer can ethically maintain a LinkedIn profile and when it constitutes advertisement. According to the opinion, attorneys may maintain profiles on LinkedIn but they must ensure that all information and endorsements in their […]