Just about every blawg I read has a disclaimer on it. The pattern is almost always the same, and reduces to the following:
- I am not your lawyer just because you’re reading this blog
- You are not my client just because you’re reading this blog
- This blog is not legal advice
- Don’t rely on anything in this blog if you’re looking for legal advice
- Talk to a lawyer if you need legal advice
- Unsolicited information sent to me is not protected by solicitor-client privilege
To my mind, posting a disclaimer on a blog is a little like handing a disclaimer to your dinner guests. Of course blogs reach more people, but I still think the entire exercise is a little odd – it shouldn’t be necessary. Nonetheless, please tread carefully.
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Are your thoughts on email signatures the same?
I get emails from folks (I know they are folks – I have met them. Some are even nice people.) who work for companies that mandate large weasel copy signatures at the end of emails detailing how no one can hold them to their word, nor is the email tobe cosntrued at any time as truth????
Thoughts?
I know what you mean – they often seem quite silly. I think in some cases these disclaimers, while well-intentioned, probably don’t accomplish their intended purpose (for example, limiting liability, binding the recipient to confidentiality where no such obligation existed before). In other cases, they likely do (putting the recipient on notice of certain facts – you often see this in email from banks and brokerages).
Of course, in almost all cases (I suspect), they’re probably never read. Much of it seems quite pointless.