Official Government Website
Lawyer Ethics and Texting
February 19, 2020
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (MT)
**Live Audio Stream Only
1.0 Ethics credit
Sponsored by the Idaho Law Foundation, Inc. in partnership with Abila and WebCredenza, Inc.
Registration Fee: $55.00
Text messaging has become a mainstream form of communication. Clients now routinely text their lawyers about pending matters. They may ask about the status of a case, provide facts about a case, communicate decisions to a lawyer, or message other sensitive information. These messages are often to a lawyer’s mobile phone that is used extensively for personal purposes, unsecured in their transmissions, and easily accessible by third parties. This new wave of lawyer-client communication raises many difficult ethical questions, including preservation of the attorney-client privilege. This program will provide you with a guide to the major ethics issues when lawyers and their clients text message about pending matters.
- Confidentiality issues involving unsecured transmission of texts involving sensitive case issues
- How to handle mobile phones used for both personal purposes and law practice
- Potential loss of the attorney-client privilege when text messages are accessible by third parties
- Tension among the duties of competence, prudence and to communicate with clients
- Understanding the ethical risks and counseling clients about the risks to their case when texting
