Law Times

LAW TIMES COVERING ONTARIO'S LEGAL SCENE | MARCH 25, 2019 5 www.lawtimesnews.com BY ALEXIA K APR ALOS For Law Times WITH the Law Society of On- tario bencher election about a month away, many bencher can- didates are using social media to engage with legal colleagues and the general public. Roughly 40 per cent of the lawyer and paralegal candidates have taken to Twitter to encour- age discourse and reveal their platform. Jeff Rosekat, of Spark LLP, prepared a list in late Feb- ruary of the bencher candidates who were on Twitter. His list currently includes 63 people. "One of the most valuable things [about Twitter] is the type of real-time engagement that one can have with members of the public, with other lawyers, with media and with anybody else who is either looking to learn more [about your cam- paign] or figure out a particular perspective on issues as they arise," says bencher candidate Sean Robichaud. He has been on Twitter since November 2008 and has nearly 4,800 followers. With the last LSO bencher election taking place in 2015, the use of Twitter in bencher cam- paigns wasn't as prevalent and it has changed the face of the cam- paigning and election processes, he says. "This time around in the bencher election, social media does seem to be playing a far more active role than it did in 2015. I'm very curious to see where this takes us and whether in the future bencher candidates will come to see social media as a necessary tool for a campaign," says Robichaud. "The reason that may be is we see a lot of more recent calls who have been very active on social media." He adds that Twitter is a valu- able tool for transparency in the profession. It helps shed light on the legal system to members of the public, potentially gaining trust. For some candidates, using Twitter as a tool to network and showcase their platform is benefi- cial because it's free. For Toronto bencher candi- date Caryma Sa'd, who has been on Twitter since 2016 and has nearly 3,200 Twitter followers, tweeting is a "crucial element" of how she disseminates editorial comics, engages in discussions and connects with colleagues to be part of her bencher candidate podcast series. The cost-effective nature of Twitter is an "equalizer" for law- yers who aren't backed by large law firms or have a large sum of money put aside for the election, she says. "The other forms of advertis- ing that were available were ex- pensive and lacked the engage- ment that I was looking for," says Central West electoral region candidate Deepa Tailor. "What I love about Twitter is that you can reach a wide audi- ence of potential voters who have the opportunity to respond and comment on your platform." Tailor, who has had her Twit- ter account since February 2014, hadn't really used the platform until she started running for bencher. She enjoys being part of discussions taking place online, especially because she practises outside of Toronto, away from where many of her colleagues are located. M. Virginia MacLean, run- ning for re-election in the Central West electoral region, chooses not to use social media because she "values privacy." She remains concerned for lawyers using Twitter because of the potential to breach the profes- sional code of conduct. "[Being a bencher] is a very important position and integ- rity is very much part of it," says MacLean. "I think you could compro- mise your integrity and violate the code of conduct, so I don't use social media in any event; it's not my preferred means of com- munication." Without the use of Twitter, she says there are more tradi- tional ways to reach out to voters, like using email, through word of mouth, networking with other lawyers and personal exposure. Even for legal professionals who are active on Twitter, they caution it isn't a silver bullet for success in the election. Robichaud says the downside of using Twitter is the potential for miscommunication. With only 280 characters to convey mes- sages, it's easy to misunderstand and to be misunderstood. Con- troversial topics, such as Ontario's statement of principles, have been exacerbated by social media and have become more incendiary. While Twitter has been prov- en to be a fast, easy way to make connections and self promote, the overall message can be frag- mented. "Social media is very reactive and immediate, and unfortunate- ly, very superficial," he says. LT M. Virginia MacLean is running for bencher re-election and says using social media could spark professional code of conduct concerns. Potential for miscommunication exists LSO bencher candidates leverage Twitter to engage voters "What I love about Twitter is that you can reach a wide audience of potential voters . . ." 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