Should Twitter Become A Standard Tool Among Lawyers ?

Lawyers and law firms should consider making Twitter one of the standard tools of the profession.  Is Twitter mainstream among non-lawyers?  Although Twitter has a long way to go to catch up to Facebook, Twitter is being used more and more by non-lawyers and in popular culture.  Doctors are tweeting from the operation room, jurors are tweeting, and celebrities are becoming more active on Twitter.  An NBA player recently tweeted during halftime of an NBA game, revealing to his followers what his coach had told the team, and vowing that he needed to play harder during the second half of the game.  Although the player was subsequently reprimanded for his in-game tweet, Twitter is increasingly becoming part of the popular consciousness.

Attorneys and corporations need to consider how and whether they jump onto the Twitter and microblogging bandwagon.  While lawyers have historically been relatively slow to embrace cutting edge technologies, it is time for them to look more seriously at Twitter.  Lawyers should consider whether their firms or companies need to adopt Twitter, microblogging, and blogging policies.  As with lawyers presently and in the past being encouraged to participate in Bar and community activities and forums, it makes sense to consider whether lawyers should be urged to "participate" in Twitter and other microblogging and social networking platforms.

As newspapers either die or go online, the volume and significance of online communication and "chatter" is increasing.  Should lawyers consider it their duty to be part of communities like Twitter, so as to stay apprised of trends, to keep up on the news, to protect their own reputations, to protect the reputations of their clients, and to be part of the Web 2.0 conversation?

I welcome your comments.