Computers have changed nearly every aspect of how we live today, from communications to shopping to medicine. Surprisingly, however, lawyers are behind the times when it comes to the role the Internet plays in both civil and criminal actions.
The global community of today’s Internet is the town square of the past. Every day hundreds of families, individuals, organizations and businesses post information about themselves (including an ever-increasing amount of amateur video) on the Internet. An attorney’s failure to inquire with a client about such activity is akin to a doctor failing to ask about a prior accident or illness. It is simply no longer possible to adequately investigate a plaintiff or defendant without including a search of the Internet as part of such an investigation.
