Florida Board of Bar Examiners to Look into Social Networking of Wannabe Lawyers
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners on Friday said that it will be performing background checks on attorneys who wish to practice their profession in the state by checking on their social networking accounts in Facebook and MySpace, saying that postings in these platforms is a reflection of the character and fitness of the applicant.
In a statement, Florida Bar Executive Director Michele Gavagni said that the move is a part of the traditional background check of the board, which has been implemented for the last 50 years.
She added that checking social networking accounts of the applicants is the last step in the process and will determine if they are fit to be a Florida attorney.
“By checking the social networking accounts of the applicants, we can see in these areas if these people lacked in candor in the regular application process and in their law schools. Usually people’s mental fitness can be shown in social network platforms like Facebook and MySpace. And we can get a closer look into this kind of postings and see if they are fit to be one of the practicing attorneys in our state,” Gavagni said.
The executive director also said that the board reserves the right to dig up web postings in the applicants’ Facebook and MySpace accounts in a case-by-case basis.
“Job applicants, much like the law students who want practice law in Florida, should be aware of the consequences of their postings in social networking sites. We want these students to know that we’re going to look at these types of posting so that they will not have any complications during the application process,” she said.
Aside from character check, the Florida Bar also bared plans of “routinely” investigate the webpages of the attorneys and applicants who has a history of practicing the profession without a license, substance abuse, or even individuals who were reportedly involved in any organization that calls for the overthrowing of the US government.
Earlier, President Barack Obama warned students and other people to be careful on what they are posting in the Internet, saying that these posting or images may backfire against them when they go looking for jobs.
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