ethics & onlinereviews : torePlY , ornottorePlY , thatistheQuestion : Partiofii
Professionalism & ethics committee Chairs : AnthonyGarcia – GarciaMediation & LindseyGuinand – TheFloridaBar
inmostonlinesituations , thebestresponseis noresponse — even regardingcommendation .
In today ’ s environment of accelerated technology , businesses share a growing dependence on customer reviews . As expected , this has raised questions regarding the ethics of an attorney ’ s response to online reviews , as presented on platforms such as Yelp or Google . Negative online feedback can damper the reputation or credibility of a practicing lawyer , ultimately diminishing the success and image of the disparaged firm . Such reviews may also be deemed untruthful . Responding to such comments could be seen as unprofessional , perhaps concerning future clients that their personal information will be shared on a public discussion site , resulting in a violation of the attorney-client privilege . This article intends to assist with replying ( or not ) to various comments from clients and third parties .
First , let us discuss Scenario A : responding to a favorable comment . Instinct may tell an attorney to shoot back a quick “ Thanks !”, but this is surprisingly a destructive reply to a public online compliment . The initial reaction to a flattering comment should , of course , be a smile . The following steps may include a deep breath and resume of work or a brief remark back to the online user . In most online situations , the best response is no response — even regarding commendation . However , a retort to the client may create an online “ bridge ” between the attorney and client , conceivably encouraging the client to work with the attorney in their upcoming cases . If chosen , the reply to the user should be brief , but personal . For example , an attorney may choose to reply to a comment focusing on the professionalism
of the firm with , “ Thank you for noticing our firm ’ s efforts to implement professionalism within our daily work .” As presumed , in response to the positive feedback , no details of the case may be discussed to avoid conflicts involving confidentiality .
Stay tuned for next month ’ s article where we discuss third party and negative reviews . n
Co-Authored by : Grace A . Garcia & Anthony J . Garcia , Esq . – Garcia Mediation
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