Top 3 Social Media Mistakes Lawyers Make All the Time
If the internet could vote, who would win the award for making the biggest social media mistake?
President Trump could win for "covfefe," "special council," or any number of social media faux pas. But that would be like a rigged election; it wouldn't be fair.
The award could go to a lawyer because, when you count them, lawyers make social media mistakes all the time. Nominations are open, but here are three of the biggest:
Sending the Wrong Message
The problem is that lawyers don't seem to understand how social media works. They may have a Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account, but they can't figure out how it helps their business.
So they do what lawyers do, like Dawn Hassell. She got a bad Yelp review and sued the company to take it down. She should have worked on a better social media message.
In Hassell v. Bird, the California Supreme Court explained free speech and the Communications Decency Act. In other words, the internet had spoken.
Obsessing Over Reviews
Keith Nguyen, working for Tuan A. Khuu's law offices, learned a similar lesson: don't obsess over social media comments.
Nguyen sued a former client over her Facebook posts, demanding $100,000 to $200,000 for alleged defamation. Instead, the lawyers should have let it go.
The judge did. In Law Offices of Tuan A. Khuu & Associates v. Cai, the judge dismissed the case and ordered the lawyers to pay $26,831.
Posting Too Much Information
Some lawyers just don't get it. They talk at people on social media instead of engaging and being real with them.
It's not about overwhelming others with information, as lawyers are wont to do. TMI can also be dangerous, especially when attorneys share too much about their clients.
Michael Cohen could be the poster boy for that mistake. Not sure if they have social media privileges in prison, however.
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