Skip to main content area Skip to institutional navigation Skip to search Skip to section navigation

How Social Media is Impacting Law Students

December 07, 2016

In a world of connectivity and 24/7 access, junior professionals should learn how to transition their social media usage to reflect their new and developing professional identity. Enjoy the excerpt below and begin to think about your internet footprint.

Law students and recent law graduates today have to navigate one of the most challenging job markets in recent history. The National Association for Legal Placement recently reported that the class of 2015 secured fewer private practice jobs than any class since 1996. And they are doing so having come of age in the era of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where comments and content that can sink a career are just a few keystrokes away, preserved for posterity, and sharable with an online audience of millions. Florida law student Taylor Chapman recorded and posted a racist rant about employees at a local Dunkin’ Donuts in 2013, only to see the video go viral and jeopardize her chances at legal employment. In 2012, a newly licensed South Carolina lawyer, Dannitte Mays Dickey, was disciplined by that state’s Supreme Court for grossly exaggerating his experience and credentials–even lying about the year he graduated from law school–in his online profiles. Of course, even older lawyers aren’t immune to social media missteps that can jeopardize employment or professional standing…

Check out the rest of the story by John G. Browning, How Social Media is Impacting Law Students.