Listserv Rules and Etiquette
In an effort to ensure the list remains a useful and positive means of communication, and of benefit to all participants, Starting Out Solo has established rules and etiquette guidelines for all users of the list. Please take a minute to review our rules and etiquette guidelines.
Listserv Purpose: The purpose of the Listserv is to enable members of SOS to communicate with one another, ask all types of questions, receive responses and advice, and to provide support, since we are all practitioners who began a solo practice directly from law school and often rely on each other for help with our practices and cases.
E-mail Rules and Etiquette Guidelines
- Do send an introductory email which states your name, area of practice, email address and physical or mailing address and phone number prior to posting questions and responses on the Listserv.
- Do use the Listserv to ask questions and receive responses which relate to your own practice, to being a sole practitioner, to trainings, and/or to any other relevant subject to the other members of our group.
- Do maintain client confidentiality when posting.
- Do keep all postings confidential among members of SOS, and do not forward a member’s email to anyone outside the Listserv without the express permission of the sender.
- Do use the Listserv to express your opinions which are solicited by other members, and which do not target another member of SOS.
- Do include a signature line.
- Do request that others respond privately or off-line where appropriate.
- Do use the list to tell SOS members about upcoming CLE or networking events which may be of interest.
- Do not cc or bcc a person who is not a member of SOS in responding to listserv emails.
- Do not use the Listserv in a way that could be alleged to violate anti-trust laws.
- Do not use the Listserv as a forum for advertising, either your own practice or any other event or product, unless another member has requested a referral and you are responding to such request.
- Do not attack others, whether members of the Listserv or not. All disparaging, defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal messages are strictly prohibited. Members can send an email to any of the moderators to file a complaint against a prohibited message from another member. The offending member will receive a warning and if it is repeated again, the member will be removed from the listserv.
- Do not post copyrighted material without the express permission of the copyright holder.
- Please confine personal “soapbox” type opinions to your own website, blog, or mailings. As in all professional settings, please avoid political, religious, and sexual references. The Listserv is not the appropriate forum for those types of emails.
- Please be careful as to any attachments you send. We do not have the ability to strip an attachment to an email on our Listserv, but we do not want to expose members to any computer or web viruses. If an attachment is unnecessary, remove it before sending.