Internet professional responsibility and client privacy difficulties are intimately associated with the services offered by lawyers. Electronic attorney services result in data gathering, information exchange, document transfers, enhanced communications, and novel opportunities for marketing and promotion. These services in turn, provide an array of complicated ethical issues that can present pitfalls for the uninitiated and unwary.
Since the internet interpenetrates every aspect of the law, internet activity can result in a grievance filed against attorneys for professional and ethical misconduct when such internet use results in: communication failure, conflicts of interest, misrepresentation, fraud, dishonesty, missed deadlines or court appearances, advertising violations, improper billing and funds misuse. While specific internet privacy violation rules and regulations are rarely applied to attorney transactions, attorneys are regularly implicated in unfair and deceptive trade practices and industry specific violations which are often interspersed with privacy violation facts.
