Ethically Building And Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Lawyer’s Guide (Webinar)

When the courts closed in New York State in March 2020, attorneys became affected professionally by the Corona Virus. Many didn’t know what to do and went into professional paralysis. Prior to March 2020, it was important for lawyers to learn to ethically build and protect their personal legal brands (their reputations) on line; after that date it became imperative.

When 2020 began, no one could have predicted that a worldwide pandemic would profoundly change everything, including the legal industry. What didn’t change, however, was the need for attorneys to create a legal brand, build it ethically and protect it, but now, it is all done online.

This seminar teaches attorneys the ethical methods of building, maintaining and protecting their online reputations.

• Creating your personal brand;

• How to determine your target market (that is, who are your ideal clients and referral sources);

• Ascertaining where they can be found online;

• Finding the most appropriate tactics and techniques for reaching this audience;

• How to provide the right information for your audiences to build your reputation;

• How to get online recommendations;

• What to do if you find negative comments about yourself online;

• How to respond so you don’t run afoul of the ethics rules; and

• Why a defamation lawsuit is your last resort.

But more importantly, this seminar will talk about the ethics issues that accompany the use of social media by attorneys. In fact, there are a myriad of ethics rules that are tied to the use of these sites including:

• Rule 1.1: Competence

• Rule 1.18: Duties to Prospective Clients

• Rule 1.6: Confidentiality

• Rule 1.8: Conflicts of Interest – Current Clients

• Rule 1.9: Duties to Former Clients

• Rule 5.5: Unauthorized Practice of Law

• Rule 7.1: Advertising

• Rule 7.2: Payment for Referrals

• Rule 7.3: Solicitation & Recommendation for Professional Employment

• Rule 7.4: Identification of Practice and Specialty

• Rule 7.5: Professional Notices, Letterhead and Signs

• Rule 3.6 Trial Publicity

• Rule 8.4 Misconduct