HOSTILE USE OF 'FRIEND' REQUEST PUTS LAWYERS IN ETHICS TROUBLE
Two New Jersey defense lawyers have been hit with ethics charges for having used Facebook in an unfriendly fashion. John Robertelli and Gabriel Adamo allegedly caused a paralegal to “friend” the plaintiff in a personal injury case so they could access information on his Facebook page that was not available to the public. The “friend” request, made “on behalf of and at the direction of” the lawyers, “was a ruse and a subterfuge designed to gain access to non-public portions of [the] Facebook page for improper use” in defending the case, the Office of Attorney Ethics charges. The OAE says it violated Rules of Professional Conduct governing communications with represented parties, along with other strictures.