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Thomas Packer
Thursday, July 09, 2015 11:30 AM
All Attorneys
Mark Stephens; Holly MacPherson; Aaron Barton; Floyd Withrow
Internet Postings Policy: Attorney-Client Communication

To All Attorneys:
Many of us spend an increasing amount of time on social media, whether on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
personal blogs or other spaces on the internet. While recognizing all of our rights to express personal views and
opinions while not working, we nonetheless think it appropriate from time to time to remind everyone of the
firms Internet Postings Policy, which can be found in the Risk Management Manual, the Attorney Handbook
and which is set out below. We want to draw particular attention to the admonitions in section 4. Even though
you may be posting on a personal account with no reference to the firm being made, it still is very easy for
people to enter your name in a search engine and figure out that you work at Gordon & Rees. While we are free
on our personal time to express views or opinions on various topics, we ask that you still keep in mind that if
your postings can be interpreted as demeaning or threatening to classes of people, it can have a negative effect
on the firm. Those people may turn out to be clients, potential clients or recruits, or a legal news organization
may pick up on the comments, connect them to a firm attorney and publicize them. We know of one instance in
which a partner at another major national firm on his personal blog made derogatory remarks about the
involvement of a Native American tribe in a memorial service following a well publicized shooting incident.
What the partner did not realize was that the tribe was a significant client of the firm. The remarks were
forwarded to a leader of the tribe who took great offense.
In sum, as the lines between our personal and professional lives become increasingly blurred, we ask that you
keep these issues in mind before posting on the internet.
Thank you,
Tom Packer
General Counsel to the Firm
INTERNET POSTINGS POLICY
While recognizing the common modern day use of electronic communications, Gordon & Rees
requires that Internet postings (including but not limited to blogs, Wikis, and postings on multimedia
and social networking websites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube) by all
personnel and from any source comply with the following rules:
1. Your Internet postings must not disclose any information that is confidential,
privileged, and/or proprietary to the Firm, any of its clients, or to anyone that has
disclosed information to Gordon & Rees.
2. Post under your own name, and be sure to write in the first person to make it clear
that you are speaking for yourself and not the Firm. If your personal posting refers to
Gordon & Rees in any way, you agree to include the following disclaimer: The
opinions expressed on this site are the opinions of the user, and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions or positions of Gordon & Rees LLP. Postings for authorized firm
business purposes do not need to contain this language.
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3. Do not cite or reference clients, partners, or fellow employees without their prior
approval.
4. Show respect for your reading audience, fellow employees, and others including
other law firms. Do not use ethnic or racial slurs, profanity, or personal insults, and
do not post any material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, abusive,
threatening, or harassing to any other person or entity.
5. Follow applicable copyright, fair use, and financial disclosure laws, and do not post
material that violates the privacy or publicity rights of another. Also, do not post or
conduct any activity that fails to conform with any and all applicable local, state,
and/or federal laws, including but not limited to 15 U.S.C. 6501 et seq. (the
Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998). Also, do not post anything that
could be construed as an advertisement or solicitation for legal services by Gordon &
Rees and otherwise exercise due care not to violate any rules of professional
responsibility or ethics.
6. If in connection with an internet posting by you someone else references Gordon &
Rees or provides a link to the firm website, you will communicate to that person that
the references to Gordon & Rees are to be deleted.
7. Your Internet postings must not violate any other applicable policy of Gordon & Rees
LLP, including those set forth in the Employee Manual.
8. You acknowledge that Internet postings are individual interactions, and that you are
personally responsible for what you post.
Violations of this Internet Postings Policy may be subject to discipline by Gordon & Rees, up to
and including termination. Gordon & Rees reserves the right to hold anyone fully responsible
to the Firm for any liabilities created in whole or in part by violations of this policy.