The development of technology and its extensive use in the legal field now requires technical competency for ethical practice.
The Ethics and Professional Issues Committee [1] of the Canadian Bar Assocation [2] (CBA) has developed a new Guidelines for Practicing Ethically with New Information Technologies [3].
These guidelines are intended to help lawyers take full advantage of technology while remaining in complaince with the CBA’s Code of Professional Conduct [4].
The marketing section mentions blogs starting on page 13, saying that marketing principles and advertising rules must also be abided by. I never thought until today that broken links could be unethical.
More relevant are the Online Discussion Best Practices starting page 17, which state the following principles when writing online:
- be clear when writing as a lawyer and offering legal services, and provide contact information when doing so
- avoid jeapordizing professional integrith, independence or competence through online discussions
- be courteous, civil, and act in good faith
- encourage public respect for the administration of justice, and provide criticisms in a bona fide and reasoned manner
- be aware that the mere fact that one is a lawyer will add weight and credibility to any public statements
- hold the same respect for the administration of justice online as in other forums and media, complying with rules on advertising, solicitation and marketing
Appendix 1 has links to similar guidelines by several provincial law associations.