The legal world has seen three separate incidents in the past two months that demonstrate the power of social media and the specific risks, ranging from potential ethics violations and disciplinary issues to reputational concerns and scrutiny of business practices, that lawyers and firms face in the digital age.

Last week, a New York-based lawyer named Aaron Schlossberg was at the center of a social media backlash after he was caught on video in the midst of a racially charged rant that included complaining about restaurant employees at a Manhattan lunch spot speaking Spanish and threatening to call federal immigration authorities.