I love the internet.  Social media, blogs and comment posts have suddenly made everyone an electronic publisher.  On the one hand, this has made the world a smaller place-  people from different backgrounds and demographics are bonding, based upon interests.  On the other hand, internet "anonymity"  has resulted in people acting differently than they otherwise would; and typically, not for the better.

Recently, I reached out to a Twitter friend who is a talented and respected director in Hollywood.  Although we've never met, I feel like I know him because we've traded Tweets and shared information.  My nephew had recently graduated from USC film school and was in the process of beginning his career.  My Twitter friend responded in an admirable and unselfish way, with an offer to help my nephew. 

Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with people I haven't seen since high school.  And although many years and miles now separate us, I feel like I have become reacquainted with them-  I've seen pictures of their kids, I know what careers they have chose and what they look like.

These are examples of the incredible power and the potential for positive effect of social media.

At the same time, I recently read a news story dealing with a lawyer's representation of his client in a criminal matter.  The story was followed by reader comments, lots of them.  Each comment became increasingly hostile, angry, vulger and profane.  After attacking the subject of the news story, the commentators began to attack each other.  Then, in a weird Goldmanesque "Lord of the Flies" way, they turned and began to form alliances.  Each level of attacks became more degrading and insulting.  By the end of the comment thread, the only thing left was a scortched earth scenario of humans who had become incredibly inhumane toward one another.

I hope this phenomenon is simply a "start up" thing.  Like kids with a new toy, we explore the boundaries, but eventually our character and humanity take over and we act the way we should.  "Lord of the Flies" was fiction-  children don't actually kill each other . . .right?  People don't act this way in real life, do they?

But I'm not sure.  If this kind of behavior is unchecked, it can only result in deterioration of everything that makes us good and caring people.  I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way.  But in our society, unfortunately, the mean people are generally noisier than the nice people. 

If you are a law student, or want to be a lawyer some day, you should understand that, in a way, anything you post on the internet is "forever".  As countless of people have learned, there are consequences that arise from what the writers consider to be random, funny, anonymous posts.  Future employers can find them.  Opposing counsel can find them.  Bar authorities can find them.  Your grandmother can find them. 

And I'm not so sure that stuff you post "anonymously" is truly anonymous.  The legal doctrine is still in flux.  Regardless, I don't think I would take the risk that something I post anonymously will necessarily always remain anonymous.  There are simply too many variables.

A caveat:  I'm as much for the First Amendment as anyone.  But as any law student knows, the First Amendment requires a government action of some sort.  And much of what we read on the internet is purely private speech, which means it can result in defamation claims.  Further, even the First Amendment has its limits and certain kind of speech- obscene or shouting "fire" in a crowded auditorium for the purpose of creating a panic- are unprotected.  So before you argue First Amendment, you should understand what it really means.

As a result, I offer the follow suggestions for soon-to-be lawyers:

1.  Seek first to understand, then be understood.  It's easy to fire off something on the internet in anger.  It can also be an easy way to look pretty foolish.  Before you rant and rave, try to understand where the object of your anger is coming from.  You might be surprised at exactly how much you can misunderstand.

2.  Don't Buy It.  I've seen stuff on the internet referring to lawyers as drug-addicted, alcoholic sex addicts.  Some of it is even from people claiming to have an inside track into the profession.  Interestingly, it's always anonymous.  Certainly, in America, we love to hate our lawyers.  And I suppose, to some, it's funny to talk about lawyers in this way.  And maybe there are lawyers out there who fit this description.  But I've never met one, or even close.

If you wonder why these posts are anonymous, it's because anyone who has ever obtained a law license understands that it is a privilige and not a right.  So people hide behind the shield of internet "anonymity" in order to criticize the profession.  But you should understand that internet "anonymity" isn't always anonymous.  The bar authorities are the sole determiners of whether or not you possess the requisite character and fitness to practice law.  And some of them may be looking at your social media in order to determine whether you have such character and fitness. 

Further, any lawyer understands that he or she has an ethical obligation to uphold the integrity of the profession.  This stuff doesn't do that and is in fact, extremely destructive to the public perception of lawyers. 

And if you argue First Amendment, I'll argue defamation.  And if you are a law student, you understand that truth is a defense to defamation.  I've been in practice for a number of years now, and have worked with hundreds of lawyers across the country.  I've never met anyone who would even come close to those described in these posts.  Further, every lawyer I've ever known has been extremely dedicated to his or her clients,  hardworking, intelligent and of high integrity.  So, I'm not buying it.

Unfortunately, I've seen stuff published by non-anonymous practicing attorneys as well.  I don't know these people and I suppose they believe they that they need to somehow display themselves as "lawyers of the people".  And they believe that "the people" enjoy rants, anger and insults.  However, my own opinion is that if I ever needed a lawyer, I would want someone who was calmer, more thoughtful and candidly, more dignified.

3.  Treat Others Like You Want to Be Treated.  It's one of the oldest rules in the book; we call it the "Golden Rule."  It's actually pretty simple in its operation, but it becomes difficult in the execution.  But if you endeavor to live by it, your life will ultimately be richer, more rewarding and fulfilling.

Bottom line:  Just because the internet is unsupervised, doesn't mean that there are not consequences from the things you put out there.  There can be legal consequences, as well as consequences to your professional career.  But long term, there are also personal consequences.  If you get into the habit of firing off a rant at the drop of a hat on the internet, eventually you could train yourself to do it in real life.  It's just not a good way to be.  Don't take the easy route, don't take cheap shots, and don't do anything that your grandmother wouldn't be proud of.  You are better than that.  And this isn't the wild, wild west.

I wish you much success in your legal career.

Since the publication of "Law School  Labyrinth- A Guide to Making the Most of Your Legal Education" (Kaplan Publishing/ Simon and Schuster, 2009) I have been asked: "What are the differences between law school and law practice?"  Of course, there are numerous differences, but probably the biggest thing that comes to mind is that the stakes in practice are so much higher.

It's easy to dissect a legal opinion and come to conclusions in the abstract.  But when you begin to realize that the parties involved are real people with real problems, the stakes become infinitely higher.  In law school, much of the work you do is abstract and theoretical.  And I found it very stimulating and even fun to engage in the collegial debate and analysis common to law school and law students.  But in law practice, you are representing real clients.  The advice that you provide will have real consequences.  In law school, about the only measure of accountability is your grade point average.  In law practice the measure is the effect that you have on people's lives.

Which brings me to the point of this blog post.  The law school curriculum spends a great deal of time teaching students how to "think like a lawyer."  And by the way, this is a critically important skill for lawyers.  You will take numerous courses that test your ability to adapt your thinking skills to different situations, different laws and regulations.  If you decide on a specialty in law school, you may take numerous courses that fine-tune your skills in that particular specialty.

But when it comes to ethical issues, in general, you will probably only take one course.  In my own education, I actually had two courses; the basic ethics course that all law students take (generally in their second or third year), and a corporate practice ethics course.  The basic ethics rules for most jurisdictions are very similar.  You should visit the ABA website, at http://www.abanet.org/cpr/mrpc/mrpc_toc.html which provides an outline and the model ethical rules.

By the way, this is not intended as a criticism of law schools.  The ethics rules are pretty straightforward.  And in many cases, you probably already have a good idea of what they look like.  We all bring with us to law school and law practice personal ethics which generally translate well.  Further, in order to obtain your license to practice  law, you are required to pass an ethics exam, called the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, which is comprehensive and covers the landscape of legal ethical issues.  (see http://www.ncbex.org/multistate-tests/mpre/).

But the purpose of this blog post is to encourage you to begin thinking about ethical issues now.  This is because the dilemma with ethical issues is that they can often  be so subtle, that we find ourselves in the middle of them with no warning.  In the case of other legal issues, generally the firt thing a lawyer tries to do is spot the issue.  Once you determine the contractual issue or the tort issue, or whatever it is, you review the rules, apply the facts at hand to these rules and begin to solve the problem.

But with ethical issues, you may be in the middle of something in which an ethical issue is raised before you even realize it.  There are all kinds of ethics issues that arise, from conflicts in representation, to conflicts in interest, to attorney communications, and  numerous other issues.  Some of these issues are intuitive, but others are more complicated and require deeper thought.

This means that your basic ethical framework must be well in place long before the issue arises.  Think of ethical training and preparation as a sort of vaccination against ethical illness.  By understanding the ethical rules and working through ethical problems in the safety of the classroom (or your own theoretical mind), you will go a long way to avoid finding yourself in the middle of an ethics problem.

I am convinced that many people get into trouble not because they intended to, but because they simply didn't think enough the situation before they acted.  In the case of ethical issues, there is often not a great deal of time for aforethought.  This is why developing your ethical framework long before a situation arises is so critical.  You will be able to navigate your way through treacherous waters, guided by this framework.

A good way to get an idea as to the kinds of ethics issues that lawyers face in the real world is to read a bar journal.  I subscribe to the Texas Bar Journal (http://www.texasbar.com/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/Texas_Bar_Journal1/Texas_Bar_Journal.htm) which is published on a monthly basis.  The TBJ includes a section on attorney discipline.  Ironically, it's right next to the obitiuary section.  Regardless, this section describes sanctions imposed upon lawyers who are charged with ethics violations.

I suggest that you begin to develop your own ethical frame today, alongside the rest of your legal studies.  Familiarize yourself now with the ethics rules.  Begin to think about the cases you read and issues you work on, in terms of the lawyer  ethics involved, in addition to the "black letter" law and IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion).  Whether the professor ever brings up the ethics issues and regardless of whether you are ever tested on them, you need to begin thinking about them now.  It will pay dividends in terms of stress avoidance when you are licensed and in practice.

I wish you much success in your legal career.  Whether you are planning to take the LSAT, or the bar exam, and everything in between, I know that you will  make it.  You will become a lawyer.  You just will.