Lawyers Networking Online
The Daily Record published an interesting article yesterday that quoted a number of Rochester lawyers, including yours truly, who are using online networking to their advantage. The article, “@Lawyers Networking Online” can be viewed in its entirety here.
Here’s the start of the article:
Kids do it. Jurors do it. Even members of the bar do it. Online social networking is more than a time-killer, say some Rochester attorneys, who also use it increasingly as a marketing tool.
Some larger law firms are resisting the trend, however. According to an informal survey reported in the March 2009 edition of Law Practice Magazine, 45 percent of law firms are now blocking access to some social Web sites. The survey, conducted in January 2009 by Doug Cornelius on Zoomerang.com, received 231 responses.
Eighty-five percent of respondents said their law firm blocks access to Facebook; 77 percent said they were blocked from MySpace. Another 55 percent are blocked from accessing YouTube, 26 percent from Twitter and 14 percent from LinkedIn.
Reasons cited by firms for blocking included loss of productivity, increased risk of viruses, confidentiality concerns and bandwidth consumption.
But those who use the sites argue the benefits of networking online far outweigh the risks. Rochester attorney Nicole Black, of counsel to Fiandach & Fiandach and an expert on Web 2.0 technology, said firms that block networking sites simply don’t understand the power of social media.
Practicing Law in the 21st Century-A Law & Technology Blog 
I wholeheartedly agree the advantages of collaboration far outweigh the issues. Without sounding fuddy duddy the web is changing the face of interaction and anyone/segment/market believing otherwise with be eventually burnt.
Franke Sinks
February 7, 2010