sosumi, baby

January 15, 2006 7:31 PM

Have any Lawyers or Doctors ever been sued for giving free advice on the internet? What was the result?
posted by Paris Hilton to Law & Government (3 answers total)

Related MeTa. I believe it's happened, but then again, you can bring suit for nearly anything.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:45 PM on January 15, 2006

Law students can get in trouble for practicing without a license, which could prevent them from passing the bar later.
posted by falconred at 12:28 AM on January 16, 2006

It isn't just being sued, although it's commonly assumed that's the primary reason. The crux of the matter is that there are strict laws and professional rules governing the attorney-client relationship. It's much more problematic than just "getting advice". There's the question of performing law in a geographical region where you are not licensed to do so, which is not a wholly resolved issue. But informal legal advice can also potentially invoke not just an attorney's duty of care, but attorney-client privilege issues [pdf].

In short, a lawyer risks not just a malpractice suit, but suspension from the bar, and being subpoenaed.

And I hope you didn't mean to imply that just because nobody has been successfully sued, there's no legal exposure.
posted by dhartung at 5:34 AM on January 16, 2006