The LinkedIn Legal Blogging Group surpassed 4,500 members this week, and I’m thrilled with the level of discussion on topics related to blogging and social media.
A partner at a Seattle firm wonders if it is ok to blog or tweet during a jury trial. Members shared relevant blog posts, comments and stories.
Most looked down on the practice of participating in social media during a trial. In the words of one member, "it is rude, unprofessional and most of all taking you away from your job as lawyer in the court."
A Denver, CO attorney put himself in the client’s shoes. "If i were a client, i would not want info about my on-going trial being shared by my lawyer."
Others provided a more lawyerly answer: it depends.
There are other variables not stated in the original question. Blogging or tweeting FROM THE COURTROOM, during testimony or argument, ABOUT THE TRIAL, is… rude, disrespectful, disruptive, and stupid. Blogging or tweeting about something unrelated, during a break, back at the office, is another matter.
A Atlanta-based attorney and law professor added,
I think that literally during trial might be a problem. But, depending on your level of concentration, blogging can be helpful at night in between court sessions or while a jury is out. Blogging can be a tool to reflect upon the day’s events and helpful for focusing. I blogged during a trial a few weeks ago, and someone made a comment that it was a bad idea. I wasn’t tipping defense strategy or betraying a client’s secret. I was blogging more generally. Also, when my jury was out, I tweeted some and announced the hung/mistrial on twitter and got reaction to the news from people all over the country, which was pretty gratifying.
There are too many great points to share here, so I highly encourage members to read the rest of the discussion.
A Waco, TX-based attorney asks, "What do you do with comments to your blog that don’t use offensive language but that you disagree with?" A Birmingham, AL 3L and Law Clerk answers, "respond!"
He continues,
How else are you supposed to have a conversation? If all anyone ever did was say "Oh boy! I sure like this post! I agree!" etc. than frankly I’d imagine that A) a blog would get boring quickly and B) the blog is probably not saying anything that interesting.
A Boston-based Legal and Marketing Consultant adds his thoughts in perhaps one of the most thorough and lengthy (in a good way) responses in the history of the group. Among his many points, he states,
Encouraging a great, lively discussion is one thing. Risking losing a potential customer because of a troublemaker who wants to prove how smart he is by refuting your experience and expertise is something else entirely. It’s YOUR blog; don’t let democratic ideals interfere with the professional image you wish to portray. YOU’RE the expert, and you want your readers to see you that way.
Both debates are still going strong, and I hope more members will weigh in.
Finally, a Kitchener, Ontario lawyer asks via his blog, Do you write your own social media posts? He opens by saying, "I am curious to know just how many of us actually write our own tweets, post to our business Facebook profiles, and update our LinkedIn accounts?" His own advice is twofold.
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Hire a consultant to get you started. Have them work with you to develop a social networking strategy. And make sure they teach you the tools that not only help you with your social networking tasks, but that also make the very best use of your valuable time.
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If you hire a third-party or use your assistant to do the postings, you should, at the very least make a commitment to personally add posts on a regular basis.
Want to share your thoughts? Join the conversation at LinkedIn.
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