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17 Geo. J. Legal Ethics 637 (2003-2004)
Virtual Ethics for a New Age: The Internet and the Ethical Lawyer

handle is hein.journals/geojlege17 and id is 649 raw text is: Virtual Ethics for a New Age: The Internet and the Ethical Lawyer MELISSA BLADES* & SARAH VERMYLEN** The expansion of the Internet has brought with it a number of useful tools. Even if they do not understand the technology behind the Internet, most attorneys appreciate the speed at which they can communicate with clients and other attorneys, the increased volume of information literally at their fingertips, and the ease with which they can complete research.' However, with the benefits of the Technological Age come hosts of legal ethics issues to concern lawyers- whether solo practitioners, members of firms, government employees or anyone in between. Lawyers must be concerned with whether their electronic mail (e-mail) or real-time communications with clients adequately protect confiden- tiality. Unsolicited e-mail received by an attorney containing information relating to a current client may have serious unanticipated ramifications. Attorneys using the Internet to advertise their practice must consider whether their actions violate ethical regulations in multiple jurisdictions. Without a universal definition of the practice of law, and hence one of the unauthorized practice of law, attorneys are faced with difficult decisions about what technologies to utilize. Part I of this Note will describe Internet practices that are commonly considered the unauthorized practice of law. Part II will examine some of the advantages of providing legal services via the Internet. Part III will address the arguments against providing legal services via the Internet- not only to protect lawyers' monopoly, but also to protect laypersons from harm. Finally, Part IV will conclude that the legal profession should embrace technology, leap into the twenty-first century, and take advantage of the Internet and all that it has to offer. I. INTERNET PRACTICES CONSIDERED THE PRACTICE OF LAW The Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules) Rule 5.7 defines law-related services as those services that might reasonably be performed in conjunction with and in substance are related to the provision of legal services, * J.D., Georgetown University Law Center (expected May 2005). I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and encouragement. ** J.D., Georgetown University Law Center (expected May 2005). 1. Vanessa S. Browne-Barbour, Lawyer and Law Firm Web Pages as Advertising: Proposed Guidelines, 28 RUTGERS COMPUTER & TlEc. L.J. 275, 281-82 (2002) (citing a 1997 ABA survey that found that ninety-eight percent of large law firms provided Internet access to some or all of their lawyers).

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