Social networking is new and is being used by an ever-increasing number of lawyers according to Pamela Woldow of Altman Weil, Inc.   Just as for Internet use, prudent firms and companies are developing policies to govern participation in social networks.   The study provides a series of policy recommendations for a law firm’s consideration.

A few of the recommendations given include:

• Check with the firm’s professional liability carrier.
• Know and follow the ABA and the applicable states’ bar rules and codes of professional conduct as they concern commercial speech and client confidentiality.
• Make certain the privacy settings are set properly for sites such as Linkedln, Facebook or Plaxo.
• Don’t give legal advice.
• Maintain client confidentiality.

For the full report, go to:   Altman Weil Releases New Study: Policy Recommendations for Lawyer Use of Social Networks