Technical Tools for Reaching Clients and Students: Practical and Ethical Dimensions

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Session Type: Concurrent Sessions

Session Capacity: N/A

Location: N/A

Room: Franciscan B

Floor: Ballroom Level

For many years, clinics have been at the forefront of adopting new technologies for teaching and legal practice. Coordinated use of technical tools allows many clinics to get the more out of limited resources and hours, and to offer students cutting-edge expertise. However, implementing each new solution comes with its own difficulties, both practical and ethical. Common technical pitfalls include adopting tools then never using them, over-engineering solutions for simple problems, and implementing technical solutions without creating the corresponding policies needed to get the most out of them. Ethical concerns raised by technology include protecting client confidentiality, avoiding over-reliance on technology, managing a social media presence, and maintaining competence in the evolving work of modern lawyering. As clinicians, we must not only face these problems in our own practice, we must impress upon our students the importance of doing so in their future careers.

By the end of the session, participants should be familiar with the practical and ethical concerns raised by the adoption of new technologies. Participants will learn how to effectively address whether adopting a new technology is appropriate for their needs. Participants should also understand the concept of “information management” and have some basic strategies for improving their practice in this area.