As technology continues to change and evolve, some lawyers have taken to social media platforms to market themselves, their practice, and explain legal principles. Others have taken to social media to make light of the profession and client experiences. I, as a Tik Tok user, come across these sorts of videos often and sometimes wonder about the implications of using such platforms for professional use.
The most common videos I come across are videos of a female lawyer re-enacting her experiences with partners, clients, and courtroom happenings. She has gotten lots of recognition through these videos and I think it is actually a very smart way to give the legal field more exposure in an accessible way. She is often making light of the daily stresses of being a lawyer, but sometimes I wonder about the ethical implications of this. While she never divulges personal information of any of the people or cases she discusses, I do fear that one day someone could come after her for this or question her professionalism by posting such videos. At the same time, though, in this day and age, many people resonate with humorous videos and like the accessibility that social media brings.
I also see videos of other lawyers on tik tok giving advice on issues such as drinking and driving, how to act if you get pulled over, treating text messages as if a jury might read them, and so on. I never give these videos too much thought, but I also wonder about the legal implications these videos might have. Similarly to commercials, these videos might be a first impression for some videos of a certain lawyer. Some of these videos teeter on giving legal advice, even though they aren't really, and people might proceed as if they now know the law and act accordingly. I'm curious how these sorts of videos and posts on social media will evolve, and whether questions regarding professionalism will arise related to them.
I find some of these creators rather entertaining, but I have come across a few that act less than professional. Although I wouldn't necessarily behave that way on social media, perhaps it humanizes attorneys a bit more which could increase public trust. It would certainly take a lot of time for the overall opinion to change, but maybe it makes some level of impact now.
ReplyDeleteMackenzie,
ReplyDeleteI have also seen a lot of these videos on TikTok and have mixed feelings about them as well. While I do think that they are interesting and sometimes can help others better understand certain legal concepts. I think that some of them seem to discuss clients too much and even give viewers the idea that if they rely strictly on what a lawyer on TikTok says they will be okay. This is something that can cause some problems such as if a client takes the advice of a lawyer discussing a law that differs from the law of the jurisdiction they are in.
Mackenzie, this is a very interesting topic. I have seen all those tiktoks you referred to and I also have questioned what implications they could potentially have in the future. Could a lawyer giving advice on tiktok be held liable for the negative outcome of a viewer simply following his advice. I think this will eventually turn into a hot topic of discussion with the ever-growing popularity of social media.
ReplyDeleteLove this topic and most of these creators but often wonder about the ethics too. It is remarkable to see access to the law open up so much. But hopefully good lawyers and ethical guidelines evolve, quickly. Some other lawyers I have seen definitely seem to risk standing ethical rules.
ReplyDeleteThere are reasons to be careful with any social media postings made in your professional capacity as a lawyer. This article is from a multistate law firm with an office in Tampa addressing the ethical issues for lawyers when posting videos on TikTok. https://www.zuckerman.com/news/insightzs/six-ethical-pitfalls-avoid-lawyer-tiktok#:~:text=Lawyers%20who%20do%20not%20intend,with%20all%20governing%20advertising%20rules.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this same thing happen across multiple professions. For example, dermatologists, estheticians, and doctors are some professionals that I see A LOT on tiktok. I have also seen Youtubers that are or were lawyers who have channels devoted to current legal topics and news. I feel for the general public who have no knowledge of the law these channels are really informative and inspire them to go into law themselves. However, like you mentioned, I do come across the occasional lawyer online who is really unprofessional and may harm the view of lawyers in the public's eye. There is one lawyer I remember seeing on Tiktok who did immigration law and I also wondered if she had any repercussions for her posts because sometimes she would give legal advice and other times she would say some weird things about opposing counsel. Good post!
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