Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Think Before You Tweet!

Despite all the warnings and information available, it seems that legal professionals still post stupid things on Facebook and Twitter -- and put their jobs in jeopardy.

A Kansas appeals court attorney was fired Monday after using foul language about the state’s former attorney general, Phill Kline, in comments she posted to Twitter last week.

Sarah Peterson Herr, a research attorney for a Kansas Court of Appeals judge, posted the comments while Kline was appearing before the Kansas Supreme Court as part of an ethics investigation.
One tweet commented on Kline’s facial expression, saying “Why is Phil Klein (sic) smiling? There is nothing to smile about, douchebag.” 

Another predicted that Kline would be disbarred for seven years for his conduct. 
Herr's comments appeared around 10 a.m. Thursday when Kline was standing before the seven-member court answering questions about his conduct while he was attorney general and Johnson County district attorney.

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said Monday that Herr had been fired and that her case had been referred to other offices for possible ethical violations.

Herr said she failed to realize her posts were readable by all Twitter readers and she understood her posts may have reflected badly on the state’s court system. 
Court rules regarding judges and justices commenting on pending cases extend to the judicial branch staff.

Source: Washington Post

No comments: