QUESTION: I’ve been bringing our law firm into the 21st century by tweeting and posting on our Facebook page about recent legal news and opinions. While I’ve shared a lot of content, I thought it was about time to start publishing our own content through a legal blog on our firm’s website, especially if it will drive more traffic our way.
Our first blog post was about a recent criminal defense case for a returning client. It merely uses public information in the criminal complaint, which the post discusses, and identifies the legal issues and precedent in our jurisdiction.
Is this within the rules of professional responsibility? Any blogging tips?
ANSWER: Blogging by attorneys continues to grow in popularity. Some lawyers and firms create elaborate blogs using WordPress and other systems. (See the ABA Journal’s Top 100 Blawgs for some great examples.)Others take an even simpler approach, posting their content on existing platforms that make drafting and publishing very easy — and without any need for specialized technical know-how beyond word processing. LinkedIn is an example.
Seeing that your first blog is already online, the cat seems to be out of the bag. Nevertheless, it may not be too late to make a few updates to your blogging strategy. First, let’s talk about some of the rules, so you can avoid doing more harm than potential good.
Guidance from the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct
In your example of your first blog post discussing a pending criminal case before the court, the confidential information protected by the attorney-client privilege is paramount (ABA Model Rule 1.6).
READ MORE Attorney At Work July 11, 2017