(PNA file photo)
MANILA– The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday cautioned lawyers to practice prudence before posting anything about their work on social media.
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, said a review of the Code of Professional Responsibility on the use of social media by lawyers is being finalized and will provide a definitive guideline soon.
“(L)et's see the final version after we have finalized the consultation with other stakeholders, and we will present to the public the final draft," Gesmundo said.
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen likewise expressed concerns over incidents where lawyers made unnecessary postings on their social media accounts which were deemed unbecoming of professional members of the court.
"May napapansin lang kami sa younger lawyers — ito yung selfie, di ba? Meron tayo mga selfie. Okay lang yan mag selfie kayo but lately we have been noticing that a lawyer would post a letter from a client na tuwang tuwa sa kanya. O, kaya mag post sya ng na ipa-file nya. Siguro bago mga abogado ito excited sila…bawal yan ("There's something we're noticing among younger lawyers — it's the selfie. We have selfies.. It's okay to take selfies but lately we have been noticing a lawyer would post a letter from a client who is happy with his work. Or he will post about something he will file with the court. Maybe they are new lawyers, they are excited... but that is not allowed), Leonen said.
He added that every lawyer must observe the attorney-client privilege, and posting any communication between them, including how grateful the client is to him for doing a great job, remains a no-no.
"Sooner or later baka magkakaso pa yan ng disbarment dahil they violated the attorney-client privilege (Sooner or later a disbarment case maybe filed because they violated attorney-client confidentiality)," Leonen added. (PNA)
