Social media is impacting the legal community in several ways. Jurors researching cases online have led to mistrials, and attorneys are using new forms of online marketing. Bar associations are advising members on appropriate social media use. While social media opens doors for communication, it also requires strategy and limits to avoid ethical issues.

1. The Courtroom’s All-A-Twitter: Social Media’s Impact on the Legal Community Michael Sommermeyer Court Information Officer, Clark County Courts [email_address]

2. About Your Speaker Twitter & Facebook “WordyMouth” Former News Anchor/Journalist. Created first website in 1993. Live Journal-er turned Blogger. Social Media Early-Adopter. Public Relations and Marketing Strategist.

3. Social Media and the use of social media tools by the judiciary and the legal community.

4. What I Did Today!

5. Social Media Impacts the Law A juror in Arkansas tweeted after a $12 million verdict. Nine jurors in Florida searched Google for more information resulting in a mistrial. Bar Associations Twittering and Blogging. Attorneys mixing Facebook with Billboards.

6. I just had to tell someone! Can the genie be put back into the bottle?

8. A Social Media Channel For Everyone

9. In A Sea of Social Media Tools

10. A Popularity Contest Attract someone to say “Hi!” Make Them Like You , and Obtain Their Trust for life.

11. Get Into Their Heads

12. Bar Associations uniquely positioned to Lead, Teach and Advise members on the power and misuse of Social Media.

13. Measure Moments A Kind Word Can Warm Three Cold Winter Months. Japanese Proverb

14. But How Do You Measure a Feeling?

15. Have You Recently... connected with friends or business partners with useful contacts? sent business to a friend/partner? recommended them for something? helped them get ahead in some way, shape or form? answered some question they had?

16. If You’re Not Talking, Someone Is People using social media to ranking good and bad judges. People complaining about bad customer service. Competitors encouraging positive feedback. Sour types complaining just to complain.

17. Social Media Opens Doors It’s human nature to talk about people, services and events. Ignore social media at your own peril. Engagement leads to better relationships. Traditional media less relevant. Reach new engaged and empowered audiences.

18. Choose Tools For Specific Objectives

19. Legal Social Media Presence

20. Text Me!

21. Never Leave Without a Map Some channels are better than others. Strategy dictates the channel (tactic) used. Engagement leads to better relationships. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to use it.

22. Choose channels according to strategy. One channel may not work for every goal. Certain channels require content creation – others require content monitoring.

23. Filling the Bucket Requires Planning Time Commitment. Trading Dollars for Time. Marketing, PR and Branding Resources Must Be in the Same Bucket.

24. P.O.S.T. Your Goals People – Assess Customer Social Media Behaviors Objectives - Decide What You Want to Accomplish; Performance Goals. Strategy - Plan For How Relationships With Customers Will Change. Technology - Decide What Social Tools to Use.

25. Possible Objectives Increased Awareness Customer Satisfaction Improved Reputation Improved Influence Repeat Business

26. Define Measurements Increase Awareness of Law Firm Specialization by 25% in the next 12 months. Improve retention of new clients by 60% at year’s end. Improve Pro Bono participation rates from 55 to 75% in the next 12 months.

27. Don’t Count ... Number of Followers Number of Clicks Page Views Facebook Page Fans (Likes) ReTweets

28. Do Count ... Number of new customers. Number of influential people talking about your organization/business. Things you learn about your customers. Number of people who fill out online form or text. Reduction in phone support costs.

29. Twitter.com – Build community. Facebook.com – Involve constituents. Wordpress.org – Create/Distribute Blog content. Linkedin.com – Career relationships. Lextweet.com – Professional Networking. Google Alerts – Monitor Social Media. TweetBeep.com – Monitor Twitter Mentions. Basic Social Media Tools

30. Social Media allows for instant monitoring, opens up communication and can extend other efforts. Ignore at your peril. Tell your story directly to many audiences. Time intensive and requires diligence. Rapid response needed to be effective. The Least You Need to Know

31. Social Media opens doors when used appropriately. Rules and strategies required – limits are needed for certain forums. Social media tools encourage communication. Use social media tools to engage communities, clients and customers. The Least You Need to Know

32. The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's First Artists , Gregory Curtis, Random House, 2007, ISBN 1-400-07887-3, p. 230 Humans Have Evolved Specialized Skills of Social Cognition: The Cultural Intelligence Hypothesis, Esther Herrmann, Josep Call, María Victoria Hernàndez-Lloreda, Brian Hare, Michael Tomasello, Science Vol. 317. no. 5843, pp. 1360 – 1366 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/317/5843/1360 Jurors: Keep Your E-Fingers to Yourselves, Eric Sinrod, FindLaw, September 15, 2009 http://blogs.findlaw.com/technologist/2009/09/jurors-keep-your-e-fingers-to-yourselves.html A Legal Battle: Online Attitude vs. Rules of the Bar, John Schwartz, The New York Times , September 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13lawyers.html?_r=1 http://www.22tweets.com/ http:// www.lvcourtsblog.com http:// www.twitter.com/NHCourts http:// www.facebook.com/ClarkCountyCourts.NV