With the advent of social media and twitter in particular it seems the long arm of the law is stretching ever-further into the ether. High profile tweets that are at best #stupid and at worst #illegal populate the news. Recently-introduced guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service show that UK lawyers rapidly need to determine the #humorous from the #vindictive. Social media law is being defined #rightnow.
By contrast, courtroom procedure and the UK’s legal system are based upon rigid rules, steeped in history. The lawyer who best knows the rules employs them to his advantage. But the same can be said of the media and social media in terms of using them for strategic communications or simply minimising negative coverage. Whether there’s a media scrum on the courthouse steps or a virtual media frenzy, lawyers need to understand pre-determined rules of engagement.
There’s a Brave New Virtual World out there that is highly influential. Failing to engage is like cutting off your nose to spite your facebook.
