The second article in my Texas Lawyer series on technology issues and law practice appears in this week’s issue and has been republished here through Law.com. For this installment, I look at the Advertising Review Department’s new Internal Interpretive Comment 17, which addresses the interplay between Part VII of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (the advertising and solicitation rules) and websites, blogs, social media, and web-based display ads.
In the end, I conclude that Comment 17 doesn’t change much about the way Texas lawyers should approach these issues. Blogs and social media are just new ways of communicating. Regardless of the medium, we are each responsible for what we say.
Information about how the State Bar views these issues is available in an article that Advertising Review director Gene Major published in the new Texas Bar Journal. In his piece, Gene encourages lawyers to blog and use social media to promote their practices. He also provides some specific instructions on how to do so within the ethical rules.
Texas Lawyerapproached me once more to write about Twitter, this time to compile a "Top 20" list of interest to those who practice in the Lone Star State. The article appeared in yesterday's issue (paid subscription required, or click here for a PDF). The new digital edition—which is really cool, by the way—can be downloaded here.
Many tweeters not on this list deserve recognition for their useful and interesting contributions. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to include them all.
Having seen some of my blog posts about Twitter, the folks at Texas Lawyerapproached me about writing an article explaining it from a hands-on perspective. The result of my efforts, entitled "Marketing Your Practice in 140 Characters or Less," appears in today's issue. I hope readers find it informative.
1/13/09 Update: Law.com has picked up the article on its Legal Technology page and has added some helpful links. Thanks to all who have commented to me about it, both below and elsewhere.
Last Updated 1/12/09: Borrowing an idea from JD Scoop, I have decided to compile and maintain an index of Texas lawyers, legal professionals, and firms who actively use Twitter. The alphabetical list (by username) appears below.
Like everything else, Twitter is what you make of it. Though originally geared toward personal communications, it has evolved into a powerful networking and business-development tool. I hope this list helps Texans working in the legal field connect with each other in ways they wouldn't have otherwise.
I am starting the list off at 20, but I anticipate it will grow over time. The descriptive information comes from Twitter bios or other online sources. If you want to revise yours, or if you're not on the list and would like to be, tweet me.
@aellislegal: Recruiter placing bankruptcy attorneys nationwide and all attorneys within Texas.
@bigtkirk: Tom Kirkendall seeks freedom and justice in an increasingly regulated world.
@TheHRLawyer: San Antonio lawyer handling disputes involving overtime pay, discrimination, wrongful termination, noncompete & separation agreements, and other employment-related issues.
@TomMighell: All-around tech and collaboration guru.
1/12/09: My friends at LexBlog are offering a free service known as LexTweet that collects tweets from members of the legal community. It is an excellent source for identifying people to follow and is not limited by jurisdiction.
For a plain-English explanation of Twitter, watch the following video:
The second article in my Texas Lawyer series on technology issues and law practice appears in this week’s issue and has been republished here through Law.com. For this installment, I look at the Advertising Review Department’s new Internal Interpretive Comment 17, which addresses the interplay between Part VII of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (the advertising and solicitation rules) and websites, blogs, social media, and web-based display ads..jpg){kind=small}
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Last Updated 1/12/09: Borrowing an idea from 
