The Consequences of Technological Incompetence
Being a Luddite can be expensive, embarrassing, and potentially disastrous for lawyers and clients. Tech incompetence can result in wasted time (and therefore increased cost to the client), loss of money and identity, ethical sanctions, and embarrassment or worse in the courtroom. Those are high prices to pay for being too proud (or lazy) to learn how the Internet, social media, and that box on your desk work. Read more 
Underpinning Digital Delivery with Integrity: The Role of Legal Counsel
Digital content is being published at a historically high rate. Organizations are employing business-minded strategies focused on delivering communications and marketing messages via websites, social media, email, and mobile applications. As they look to leverage even more online platforms – such as customer relationship management tools and chatbots – their exposure to regulatory and legal risks continues to grow. Read more
Friday 5: Social Media Ethics
At the March 28 WSBA Legal Lunchbox CLE, “Social Media Marketing Strategies for Attorneys,” CLE faculty Jeanne Marie Clavere, WSBA’s professional responsibility counsel, Greg McLawsen of Sound Immigration, and Sumeer Singla of Impact Law Group explored ways that law firms have used social media to expand their client base and reviewed how the RPCs may impact different social media marketing strategies. Read more
Five Best Practices for Law Firm Websites
Whether you are a small or large firm with hundreds of attorneys, your website is likely the foundation of business development and new client lead generation. There is certainly a lot of advice out there on how to make a website effective, perhaps so much information that it might be difficult to determine where to start. Read more
Court of Appeals Discusses Lawyer Web Advertising under the Consumer Protection Act
Since Short v. Demopolis, 103 Wn.2d 52, 691 P.2d 163 (1984), the business aspects of law practice have been subject to the Washington Consumer Protection Act. RCW 19.86.020 prohibits “[u]nfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce[.]” RCW 19.86.090, in turn, creates a private right of action for CPA violations and includes both attorney fees and treble damages (to $25,000 beyond actual damages) remedies for a successful claimant. Historically, most CPA claims involving lawyers touched on fee-related issues (see, e.g., Cotton v. Kronenberg, 111 Wn. App. 258, 273-75, 44 P.3d 878 (2002)). Division I of the Court of Appeals, however, recently discussed lawyer web advertising in the CPA context in Rhodes v. Rains, 2016 WL 3080727 (Wn. App. May 31, 2016) (published on July 28, 2016).
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