Atlanta Bar Association, Solo Practitioners Group monthly breakfast presentation, May, 2012

1. Deborah Gonzalez, Esq.
Atlanta Bar Association: Solo Practioners Group
May, 2012
deborah@law2sm.com

2. This presentation is for educational purposes
only and does not constitute legal advice. It
is recommended that you seek legal counsel
for specific matters.
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3. www.law2sm.com
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4. 4

5.  Why is it important to know this?
 What is Social Media?
 What Social Media do attorneys use?
 Why do attorneys use Social Media?
 Social Media in Legal Practice
 Social Media: Resources/Time
 Q&A

6. There can be consequences…
Individuals have lost jobs, been disbarred, been
disciplined, lost cases, lost clients, lost
money, lost their reputation, lost their good
standing in their communities, etc., etc., etc.
For example…

7. Attorney on Twitter “stuck in conference call
with a bunch of idiots. Calgon take me
away!”
Law student tweet “just got a job offer! Selling
my soul to the devil for financial stability!”

8. Facebook Post “Care to take a “sick day” and
join me at the beach on Friday?”
Another Facebook post: “What time did you
get home last night? Can’t believe we drank
all those tequila shots!”

9.  A communications channel?
 A communications method?
 A life-interpretation lens?
 A paradigm shift?
 Trouble?

10.  Facebook
 Twitter
 YouTube
 LinkedIn
 Avvo
 Google +
 Legally Specific Others – Martindale, Justia

11. http://www.facebook.com/Law2sm

19.  Goals:
 Attract Clients - Marketing
 Establish a reputation/Showcase Expertise
 Drive traffic to website
 Get more media attention/speaking engagements
 Network & Build/maintain relationships

20.  Goals:
 Locate information to support your practice
 Competitive intelligence and customer feedback
 Branding
 Communication/Information distribution/sharing
amongst attorneys in law firms
 Find a new position

21.  Old School:
 Buy attention (paid advertising)
 Beg for attention (free PR)
 Bug for attention (sales)
 New School – Social Media
 Currency (what is important at this moment)
 Authenticity (credibility)
 Relevance (to who is reading)

22.  Regulating the use(s) of social media
 Marketing/Information Sharing
 Regulating the content of social media
 Intellectual Property –
ownership/infringement/offense
 Regulating the access of social media
 What can you regulate in company policy?

23.  Family Law
 Criminal Law
 Commercial Law
 Real Estate Law
 Trusts, Wills, and Estate Planning
 Intellectual Property
 Employment
 Products Liability
 Personal Injury Cases

24.  To be aware of:
 Tools – which ones are your clients using; which
ones should you use; how do they work most
effectively?
 Privacy – A person's right to control access to his
or her personal information.
http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/P/Priva
cy.aspx

25.  To be aware of:
 Confidentiality – personal data; privilege;
attorney-client relationships;
 Ethics – regulation of conduct; ABA Model Rules;
GA Rules of Professional Conduct

26. Blame Lawyers, not Twitter for Ethical
Implications of Social Media
 WordPress Blog Post; May 29, 2011
 “the true issue lies with lawyers exhibiting poor
judgment when it comes to ethical behavior
online not social media creating new ethical
problems”
▪ http://trickumlegis.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/blame-lawyers-not-
twitter-for-ethical-implications-of-social-media/

27.  Have a plan for using social media – it begins
with your goals. Do you even need to be there?
 Budget/allocate resources for it – get
professional help when you need it.
 Learn about it – CLE and other educational
programs/books should be part of the budget.
 Pick one and start there – LinkedIn is a good first
choice for attorneys. Profiles are important and
so is your photo!

28.  Get in the habit of checking your social media
account(s) at a certain time every day or pick one day a
week. Be on a consistent schedule that will not
overburden you.
 Create a Google Alert for your name and your firm
name.
 Put a time limit on your social media activity. Practicing
law and servicing your clients is priority.
 Keep alert for updates on social media and the legal
practice.
 Enjoy the process.

29. Social Media is…
Public
Permanent
Powerful

30. ???

31. Deborah Gonzalez, Esq.
deborah@law2sm.com
404-857-1331
www.law2sm.com
Twitter: @law2smdeborah
Facebook: Law2sm