The Road Warrior Looks at Lawyer Scams

As a prelude, let me clarify that my reference to “lawyer scams” does not refer to a scam initiated by a lawyer that victimizes others. We should never involve ourselves in such things, and I would never write a piece telling you how to do that. Rather, this piece focuses on scams that target lawyers. Yesterday, I spoke at a CLE program as part of the GPSolo Division’s Winter Summit. In preparing for that, I looked at some of the changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown. Because of my interest in technology, our increasing use of and dependence on technology in the course of the pandemic stood out to me. It stood out for three reasons. First, it underscores a lesson I have taught for many years relating to the absolute necessity of lawyers learning about technology to facilitate the competent practice of law in today’s world. Second, as we grow more dependent on technology, the failure to understand how it works and deal with it competently exposes us to a burgeoning number of scams directed to lawyers as targets. And third, I always thought that the increased use of technology by attorneys lied on the horizon; the pandemic hastened that evolution, and many of the changes will remain part of our lives and practices long after we look back at the pandemic as history.