I recently posted about a Florida Bar investigation and consent agreement in A Disciplined Attorney and Repercussions (September 2018). I do not know Mr. Bradley Douglas (I don't think, though I meet many people and I am not good with retention of names sometimes). When I first ran across the Supreme Court order in that case, I searched the Internet to help me identify, or perhaps remember, Mr. Douglas.
I was first surprised when the "images" Google search yielded no photos that were the Bradley Douglas for which I was searching. Eventually, I located a video. Using my rudimentary computer skills, I included in that post a screenshot of the YouTube video, the only success I had in my search for an image.
This is not the first time I have struggled to find a photograph on the Internet. In my work with the National Association of Workers' Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ), I have often struggled to find photographs of, and information about, individuals appointed to various judicial positions around the country. It is not uncommon that an announcement in the NAWCJ newsletter features a state seal image in lieu of some appointee's photo. It has persistently struck me as curious that data is widely available for some people and yet completely unavailable for others.
Often, successful searches for photographs and background biography information are successful when there is a law firm website. But, as often I am surprised to find a particular lawyer has no website. Al Gore "took the initiative in creating the Internet" decades ago. It has become the "go-to" source of information in our society, invading and permeating our existence in so many ways. And yet, many lawyers do not have even a rudimentary website (name, picture, practice area list, address, phone number).
Certainly, there is the expense associated with constructing any website. But, a website is a relatively inexpensive opportunity to introduce one's self to clients. prospects, and your community (I know some lawyers who thrive on referrals from other attorneys, their "community"). It is an opportunity to put a face with a name, overview areas of practice or expertise, inform, and expound. I know so many lawyers who are engaged in outstanding charity and community service, and yet so few who provide information about that on their website.
Notably, lawyers who elect not to make that commitment to a firm website will nonetheless have an Internet presence of sorts. Searches will likely yield references on Avvo.com, Mapquest.com, Kudzu.com, Justia.com, legaldirectories.com, and more. Those sites strive to compile and provide information regarding people without their involvement or consent. And, in more than one instance, I have been told that information on some of those sites is not accurate.
For Florida lawyers, of the search results will likely be for a member profile at The Florida Bar, www.flabar.org. The Florida Bar has invested significantly in technology over the last 15 years. It has a dynamic and diverse website full of information, as well as a significant following on social media platforms. Each Florida Bar member is afforded a profile page. Some might argue that the platform is "free," and others might contrarily argue lawyers each pay for it with their dues. But, does that distinction matter?
Considering both arguments, there is little excuse not to use the platform. If it is "free," then it makes sense to take advantage of that opportunity to introduce oneself to the legal community, potential clients, and more. On the other hand, if each lawyer is paying for the platform with their dues, then does it make sense not to use something for which you are paying? The process of accessing and updating that particular tool requires less than ten minutes and a simple cell phone photograph.
Nonetheless, it is not uncommon for me to find a Florida Bar member who has not taken advantage of this Internet benefit. Foregoing the opportunity to upload a professional photo, these members display the default:
Courtesy, The Florida Bar
Not the most informative selection. Some members also decline to provide information in their profile regarding in which Circuit they practice, or their areas of practice. That is, they are simply not leveraging the opportunity to inform of their identity, location, and practice on a site for which there is at least no marginal expense.
More surprising are those lawyers and other professionals who elect to engage in social media. Seemingly, the only purpose of social media is to both be informed and to connect with others. This is a volitional choice to put oneself out there in the (too often) morass of noise and confusion of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Periodically, an attorney's name will appear on one of the OJCC social media feeds similarly without a photo. Note that these instances each evidence an attorney who has taken the time to engage in social media, but has declined to provide a photo. And, on more than one occasion has declined to provide even rudimentary information about themselves.
Courtesy, LinkedIn
The information age is upon most of us; it has overtaken some of us. Technological changes keep coming. The technology generation was born into a world of cellular phones and unlimited data. They are as familiar and comfortable with the Internet as previous generations were with newspapers, yellow page directories, and facsimile machines. As important as an internet presence arguably is today, there is every indication that its importance will only increase.
For those who would be viewed as accessible, professional, and technologically aware, the time for leveraging their Internet presence would seem to be now. What message does someone of the technology generation glean from a failed Internet search for some professional? What does an incomplete social media profile communicate to those who are inextricably caught up in social media as a way of life? If you are one of those generic image users on the World Wide Web, perhaps it is time to consider a photo. If your social media profiles are incomplete, perhaps a few minutes would be a worthy investment.
And, if you are in business today, perhaps a basic website is a worthwhile consideration. Maybe you could trade that antique fax machine gathering dust in the corner to some budding Internet entrepreneur in barter for some web programming?
