Social Networking is the craze these days, but are all social networking sites right for lawyers? It depends on how you use them. For example, I believe LinkedIn is a great tool for networking for lawyers. The relationship links created between individuals are defined, such as “colleague” or “business associate.” LinkedIn’s business and networking purpose is quite clear. On Facebook, however, everyone is a “friend.” Think about what the consequences would be if a lawyer were to “friend” other lawyers, judges, and clients, or even persons the lawyer doesn’t know very well. The nature of the relationship actually may be different than that of “friend.” Could “friending” be misleading or could these e-defined relationships create unintended conflicts of interest? Just something to think about.
