Friends of Justice: Does Social Media Impact the Public Perception of the Justice System?

Abstract

Lawyers have long been recognized as being necessary in the effective functioning of an ordered society1 in roles as both officers of the court and, more broadly, as officers of the system of justice. In 2014, the ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education report noted that “[s]ociety has a deep interest in the competence of lawyers, in their availability to serve society and clients, in the broad public role they can play, and in their professional values.”2 Values such as those noted in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (advisor, counselor, and advocate) are instrumental in the lawyer’s contribution to the “effective functioning of an ordered society.”3 These expected values and their interplay in society creates what has be