Taking the Lawyer\u27s Craft into Virtual Space: Computer-Mediated Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiating

Bellow\u27s and Moulton\u27s The Lawyering Process emphasized the need for law students and lawyers to draw on other disciplines for effective skills development, to make self-analysis of their professional skills and principles a career-long practice, and to remain ever vigilant of emerging ethical issues. This article attempts to honor those lessons by applying them to lawyers\u27 use of computer mediated communication (CMC) in interacting with clients and in negotiating for clients. The article examines the social science research on CMC, applies that research to the lawyer\u27s context, and makes some tentative assessments about the skills involved in lawyers\u27 use of CMC. Ethical issues that have arisen with the expanding use by attorneys of CMC are also addressed