Social Media and Law Students

We think that law students who use social media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) thoughtfully and responsibly can help carve out a niche for themselves which may lead to future employment opportunities. We are aware, however, that some law school career services offices are troubled with students using social media websites because information about online identities could be used against students by prospective employers. For example, we know of one local government employer who, as part of its application process, demands access (username and password) to all social media websites to which an applicant belongs.

One Iowa student, Laura Bergus, is blogging about her "adventures in pushing my law school to get real about social media." Her two part post is here and here. Laura is currently conducting a survey of law students to gather information on how students already use social networking resources. She hopes to publish a "Best Practices Guide" for law schools and law students.

Finally, check out the Social Media Law Student blog. It's pretty good.