Attorney Marc Breakstone Comments in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Article: “Too Much Information? Lawyers Split Over Online Juror Surveillance”

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly writes this week about the divide among lawyers on monitoring social media use and Internet activities by jurors. It is a common practice, especially in Massachusetts, which does not allow attorney-conducted voir dire. There have been no ethical opinions on the subject issued in Massachusetts. Not all attorneys are comfortable with it, but some consider it fair.

“I see no ethical issue. It’s in the public domain,” says Marc L. Breakstone, a Boston personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer with over 25 years of experience. “The public domain is the public domain. There’s certainly nothing wrong with checking the Internet. There would be a lot wrong with interacting with jurors or doing anything on the Internet to influence jurors with respect to the case.”

Breakstone later adds, “Trial lawyers are starving for information about jurors. The Internet is a potential treasure trove of information. Why wouldn’t a diligent trial lawyer inquire of that source? I would rather have voir dire, but without voir dire, this is all I can do.”

Read the full article online or view the PDF version.

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