The Unloved Lawyer: "Opinions are my own"

With the rise of social media, we all now have a forum where we can publicly express our views to the masses – to our “friends” and “followers”. So can personalities once pigeonholed into perceived areas of expertise.

Take the recent Gary Lineker controversy. Once known simply as a footballer and pundit whose fame was used to promote Walkers crisps, he has unapologetically made his views known on immigration and asylum seekers – for which he was criticised and temporarily suspended from Match of the Day. Why shouldn’t he express his own views?

Fame certainly has its drawbacks. Nicola Sturgeon said when she resigned that she is so much in the spotlight that she is unable to enjoy a simple walk in the park without an entourage to protect her. It also means the public make assumptions about you: you have to watch what you say, how you act and where you go. Being a solicitor is no different.

No leaving it behind

Take social media, for example. You may post as an individual and not a solicitor, but if your profiles are public, your colleagues, employers and clients can all see them, which, whether you like it or not, could affect your prospects if your socials resemble a stint on Geordie Shore.

On that subject, you have to watch your behaviour and actions on nights out. Although you are “off the clock”, the unspoken rule is that you are always representing your firm or profession whatever you are doing. Do you really want to get blind drunk and be captured arguing in the kebab shop queue at the end of the night?

What if you are looking for love? You might think, what does that have to do with my profession? Well, “nothing” is strictly the answer, but if you are active on dating apps you also need to be mindful of your profile in terms of its content, the pictures you upload and who might see you on it, be it clients or colleagues who could feed back to your employers.

I am aware of several dating profiles of solicitors (with and without photos) wherein they state they are married and looking for discreet fun, which may be fine, but noting your occupation and having photos available heavily increases your chances of being identified for such an ethically questionable intention. What if a client sees that?

How you conduct yourself on such apps could potentially affect your reputation as a solicitor, and that is the harsh reality. Does that mean solicitors aren’t entitled to find love? Of course not, but maybe you should think twice about that audition for Channel 4’s Naked Attraction…

Free to speak?

Back to the socials: you also need to be mindful of the status updates you post and the views you express in a public setting. Even if your profiles are all private and you think you can trust everyone you are “friends” with, it is always possible that someone could screenshot what you’ve said and spread it for their own agenda. Does this mean you should stay silent on matters close to your heart? No – we all have a voice and when things mean that much to us, we should be able to make our voices heard. Sharing our feelings can feel liberating. But, as a solicitor, you need to be careful how you word your views, and to be mindful that any statements are your own views and nothing your employer would find inappropriate should they search your social media.

I know of a small group of professionals who attended an indoor party during Covid restrictions, and a friend of one attendee took a screenshot of the post on social media, re-posted it on their own profile and tagged Nicola Sturgeon in order to shop them!

In short, you can be the life and soul of the party and enjoy a good drink; you can have strong views on matters that mean a lot to you; and you can have a desire to find love or to find a hook-up or situationship or anything in between. However, you should realise that you will probably be seen by people around you first and foremost as a solicitor, and – like it or not – that night you ended up face down in the street, or your former Tinder profile that mentioned your kinks, will be remembered in that light.

Does this mean you have to act to fit in with the “boring lawyer” persona? No, it just means you should think about ringfencing your wild antics. If you’re going to get black out drunk, save it for that house party with your close friends, and if you’re going to rant online about something political, draft it, leave it, revisit it, revise it, and at least take out the expletives!

As if Big Brother is always watching…