See Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Formal Opinion 2001 - 1 (concluding that information submitted
by e-mail to a law firm via the firm's website was unsolicited; simply including an e-mail link on a law firm's website does not amount to an invitation to transmit confidential information); Iowa State Bar Association Op. 07 - 02 (evaluated whether the lawyer said or did anything to prompt the potential
client to provide confidential information to the lawyer, noting that a lawyer's «request to contact» is not the same as a request for information); Massachusetts Bar Association Op. 07 - 01 (concluding that a website is a marketing tool
by which a
prospective client may identify which lawyers have the expertise necessary to handle a particular case, and that the publication of such information could reasonably lead a
prospective client to conclude that, when sending information to the firm via an e-mail link, the firm and its lawyers have implicitly «agreed to
consider» whether to form an attorney -
client relationship.
The real issue comes after the
prospective limited scope
client contacts the law firm, when the attorney must
consider on a case -
by - case basis whether unbundled legal services are appropriate for the individual
client's circumstances.
You are being Googled
by prospective employers, business partners, customers /
clients, and just about anyone who is
considering associating with you in some way.