The Art of the Client Email: Tips for New Lawyers

One of the most important skills a young attorney can cultivate is communicating clearly and ethically with clients. Often, client communications will be conducted through email. Although it has become ubiquitous, the implications of using email are relatively new in the realm of legal ethics. It wasn’t until 1999 that the ABA first acknowledged that a lawyer could ethically transmit any information relating to the representation of a client by unencrypted email over the internet. It is worth your time to consider when and how to use email ethically and effectively. Fortunately, there are some simple considerations you can keep in mind to help ensure your email communications with clients satisfy your ethical obligations.

Read more in Chuck Lundberg’s latest article, published nationally in the ABA Young Lawyers magazine: Read the article