Every attorney, from the new to the seasoned, ought to know his or her state’s rules of professional conduct regarding advertising. Like most attorneys, you may know that sending mailers or email messages to potential clients must carry some disclaimer saying that the email, newsletter, flyer, or other material is an advertisement for professional legal…
Ethics
Ethics: Practicing in Multiple States
Practicing law in multiple states can be tricky. The American Bar Association prohibits lawyers from practicing in jurisdictions where they are not licensed. Lawyers who overstep the bounds of their licenses—even unintentionally—often get slapped with sanctions for committing a multi-jurisdiction practice violation. If you practice in multiple states, you are surely already aware of this…
Ethics: Review Response Results in Reprimand
If you’ve been following our blog or have received our previous newsletters, you might remember that we talked about the ethics of responding to reviews before. We discussed how important it is to make sure that you respond to reviews—particularly negative reviews—with care. A wrong move in this area can lead to an ethical violation…
Ethics: Responding to Negative Reviews
Consumers trust online reviews from strangers just as much as they trust real-life recommendations from family and friends. This makes having positive reviews on your law firm’s online profiles— Google+ Local , Yelp , AVVO , etc.—worth their weight in gold. But what about when an unhappy client leaves your firm a bad review? No matter how consistently you…
Warning: Watch Out for Black Hat SEO Firms
Search engine optimization is like the Force: it has a light side and a dark side. At GNGF, we practice white hat SEO. (We’re the Jedi.) This type of SEO works in compliance with Google’s terms and conditions, helping to raise your website in search results based on the merits of your website. Black hat…
Avoiding the Ethics Pitfalls of Social Media
Social media is a realm where many attorneys fear to tread—and for good reason. The ethics surrounding social media use—what counts as legal advice, what is considered advertising, when an attorney-client relationship is created, and what is discoverable—are complex, with many rules still in flux. Still, attorneys can and should use social media to grow…