Nethics: Lawyers in Cyberspace

The information age has totally changed the way lawyers practice law. It was only a few years ago that lawyers were introduced to the Internet. At that time the Internet was a luxury; today it is a necessity. The use of the Internet by lawyers raises a number of ethical issues. These issues are not unique to the Internet, but the use of the Internet has resulted in many lawyers revisiting their ethical obligations and applying the ethical rules to this new form of technology.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of the Internet and the ethical issues it raises. In doing so we will reference both the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct (A.B.A. Model Rules),1 and the American Bar Association Model Code of Professional Responsibility (A.B.A. Model Code).