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Professional Responsibility

Please Tweet Responsibly: The Social and Professional Ethics of Public Defenders

Nicole Smith Futrell, The Champion® (Issue December 2019 Page: 12)

This article is by CUNY Professor Nicole Smith Futrell

Using Client Information in Social Media Advocacy

Some criminal defense attorneys use social media platforms, such as Twitter, to provide insight and commentary about the legal system. While this can be an effective approach, attorneys should consider the ethics rules before posting on social media. Professor Nicole Smith Futrell discusses the key ethical considerations, and she offers guidance to defenders on how to responsibly draw from their specialized knowledge and the experiences of their clients in order to expose systemic injustice.