Professionalism Can't Be Emailed In

If you haven't yet received the email discussion between Massachusetts attorney Will Korman and his "almost" associate, Dianna Abdala, then take a look at this article in the Boston Globe. It seems that Ms. Abdala had a change of heart and decided not to work for Mr. Korman. She informed him of this fact via email late the night before she was to start work. It only gets worse from there. After several subsequent messages between them, Mr. Korman decided to email the discussion to a friend. From there the Korman-Abdala dialogue has circulated the Internet at speeds rarely seen unless nude celebrities or politicians are involved.

At the heart, this is a lesson in professionalism for all lawyers: Be a professional at all times; be courteous and civil to other lawyers, clients, and the public.  However, it is a lesson for everyone in the power of the Internet.  Be careful what you put in an email message. If Ms. Abdala transmitted the same message via letter, fax or voice mail, it would have revealed a similar message about her professionalism, but would not have been so easily forwarded to thousands of lawyers around the world.  Email is a convenient and powerful tool, but it can also come back and bite you on the career!