The use of social media has exploded over the past five years. A large number of lawyers have jumped on the proverbial social media bandwagon and are using these websites both as highly effective marketing tools and as a way to stay connected with friends, family, colleagues and others. The use of social media among young lawyers is particularly prevalent, because many of us have been active participants on these websites since their infancy—starting from the days when you needed a “.edu” email address to register for Facebook. Unfortunately for the unwary employee, including young lawyers, the use of social media can give rise to myriad workplace issues. Seemingly innocuous conduct on social media can quickly endanger a young lawyer’s job.
The Scary Story
A hypothetical young lawyer, like so many others, had a Facebook page he mainly used for personal activities like staying in touch with high school and college friends. After joining a prominent Philadelphia law firm, the lawyer “friended” a few co-workers on Facebook, as well as the firm through its Facebook page. This gave the human resources department at the firm access to the lawyer’s Facebook page. With this access, the HR department periodically checked the lawyer’s Facebook page to ensure that none of its content reflected negatively on the firm.
