Second Life virtual law firms not to be
Virtual storefronts in Second Life from the likes of Sony and Dell attracted the interest of a few law firms earlier this year. I had more than one call from legal journalists inquiring of my opinion about law firms opening virtual offices in Second Life.
However, Ben Worthen at the WSJs Biz Tech blog reports the lights of Second Life ain't so bright anyore.
The virtual world's month got off to a rocky start, when the LA Times described how many of the businesses that had set up shop in Second Life were closing. Second Life storefronts for Best Buy's Geek Squad, Sun Microsystems and Dell were all deserted, and American Apparel's was virtually boarded up. 'There's not a compelling reason to stay,' Brian McGuinness, a vice president with Starwood Hotels, which is closing its Second Life store, told the LA Times.
I'd agree with Ben's advice, '..[V]irtual worlds may be an interesting idea, but [I] wouldn't suggest building a business in one. At least not this month.'
Technorati Tags: Second Life
This is pretty surface-level analysis. Second Life has gotten some bad press recently, some of which is deserved, some of which is not. But it hardly follows that virtual worlds aren't generally ready for attorneys, or business, for that matter. Most people who actually participate in these realize that mainstream business' attempts to enter have been marred by a generally poor understanding of what works in virtual worlds. Contrary to the point here, I'd suggest lawyers figure the space out as soon as possible so that they can better advise clients on the legal and business realities they'll face there. Think of it like the web in about 1995. Businesses are trying, and not quite getting it. Give it a year or so, and be prepared to answer your clients' questions about these spaces because it is going to keep coming up (whether in "Second Life" or, quite possibly, some other world).