Good Practice Guide to Social Media Use

Social media can be a useful tool for family law professionals to connect with the public and other professionals, publicise campaigns, raise the profile of members and communicate about the work we do. As it can potentially reach a wide audience, we must be careful about how our use of social media impacts on our client-related work.

This Guidance was reviewed in April 2026. The law or procedure may have changed since that time and members should check the up-to-date position.

Download the Good Practice Guide as a PDF

Scope

The Guide covers any activity in which members manage, administer or participate within social media platforms. As well as this guidance you should keep up to date with your own organisation’s policy on social media, and we recommend the Law Society practice note on social media.

Social media and the Code of Practice

This Guide to Good Practice is a set of guidelines to help Resolution members who are using social media, whether in an official or personal capacity. In particular, we explain how members can put the principles of the Code into practice when using social media.

The standards of Resolution members do not change because they are communicating through social media rather than face to face, or through other traditional forms of communication. However, the use of social media creates new circumstances to which the Code of Practice will apply. Members may find it helpful to review the Guides to Good Practice on Correspondence and Working with Litigants in Person, and the Law Society’s Family Law Protocol as a reminder of the principles that should apply.

As a Resolution member we expect you to adhere to the Resolution Code of Practice in all that you do. Similarly, if you are a member from another professional background, we will expect that you will adhere to the Code and be aware of and adhere to any regulation or protocols of your own regulator or governing organisation in respect of social media use.

Complaints regarding members’ conduct on social media

Should a complaint be made about your conduct whether on social media or otherwise, we will deal with it in line with our complaints policy and procedure. Please refer to our Complaints Handling Toolkit in the event a complaint is made about you.

What are social media?

Social media are ‘websites that allow groups to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations and exchange of content’. Specific audiences may form online communities through different social media channels.

In this guide we use ‘social media’ to include the following:

  • Forums and comment spaces on information-based websites (eg The Guardian, BBC, or the Law Society Gazette).
  • Social networking sites (eg Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram).
  • Video and photo-sharing websites eg TikTok, Flickr or YouTube.
  • Weblogs, including corporate and personal blogs.
  • Micro-blogging site (eg X (formerly Twitter)).
  • Forums and discussion boards such as LinkedIn Groups, Google Groups or Reddit.
  • Online encyclopaedias, such as Wikipedia.
  • Any other websites that allow individual users or companies to use simple publishing tools.

Privacy

Be aware of the limitations of privacy online, in particular:

  • Social media sites cannot guarantee confidentiality.
  • Clients, your employer or potential employers may be able to access personal information.
  • Information about your location may be available for people to see.
  • Once information is published online it can be difficult to remove.

You should be clear when posting anything online whether you are doing so in a professional or personal capacity, and only post something online if you are happy with the whole world knowing about it. It can be helpful to draw distinctions between personal and professional lives by having separate and clearly different profiles, ensuring that the security settings are appropriate to the type of use that is planned.

If a client contacts you online through a private profile you should direct them to your professional profile.

Information published on external websites is in the public domain and cannot be easily removed. If you feel you need to, consider adding a disclaimer to your signature or profile stating your legal position with regards to the content you are publishing, for example “All views expressed are my own.”

Maintaining confidentiality

Outcome 4.1 of the SRA Code of Conduct requires that ‘you keep the affairs of clients confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents’.

Many members use sites that are not accessible to the public to share information about their practice. It is important that you are careful not to share confidential information about clients. Beware of the impact of any comments you make on your clients and their partner or family. You may not intend it but a client could identify themselves from your comment or mistakenly assume you are referring to them. An example of this might be where you refer to taking part in a client meeting or attending court and make a comment from which the client may be able to identify themselves. It is important to remember that the client’s perspective of that meeting or event is likely to be very different from yours. Pause before posting and think about how your client/s would perceive your intended comment.

Professional objectivity

One of the benefits of social media is the ability to share information, experiences and opinions easily.

You should be careful to maintain professional objectivity when making comments online. Before doing so, consider how this reflects on you as an individual, a professional, and on the firm you work for. One misplaced comment can impact on your reputation within the profession and publicly.

Treat online discussions the way you would any other networking activity. Be courteous and professional and remember that as members you are representing Resolution. If you disagree with opinions stated, respond with sound reasoning and in an appropriate tone, even in the face of provocation.

There seems to be an increase in the number of derogatory comments made on social media about other practitioners/professionals in the family law arena, whether they are directly identifiable or not, and it is important to consider whether those comments could be considered in direct contradiction of your professional objectivity requirements.

Entering into discussions with third parties

Community spaces are provided to facilitate information exchange and peer-to-peer discussion. Members should be aware that there are a number of groups that try to engage Resolution members in negative and conflictual discussions online. If you are ever unsure about how to respond, members are invited to contact the Communications team for advice ([email protected]).

Engage with your community

Social networks thrive on interconnectedness. You are encouraged to get involved in discussions, mention other users in your posts to engage them, and use appropriate and relevant hashtags or tagging to ensure your voice is not lost in the social media ‘noise’.

You should actively seek opportunities to re-post content that contributes to the dissemination and exchange of useful information about family law and Resolution-related topics. You may be asked to re-post content from other users. Consider these requests on a case-by-case basis.

Resolution has its own social media platforms and members are encouraged to link up their social media accounts or pages with the official Resolution version. You are encouraged to follow and repost to reinforce the Resolution message and increase their own member profile.

LinkedIn Company Page: Resolution – first for family law

X (formerly Twitter): @ResFamilyLaw

Following and unfollowing

You do not need to automatically follow organisations or individuals who follow you. Resolution members should consider following relevant organisations including local referral organisations/individuals in the family law sector, commentators on family law and other accounts you can feel an affinity with. Regularly review accounts you are following and unfollow any that are no longer useful or inactive.

Be transparent

You can post as a Resolution member but with your own voice. Share your views and be honest about why you hold them. If you make a mistake you should rectify it as soon as possible.

Identify yourself as a Resolution member in your online bio. This helps to mark you as a member of Resolution and ensures you are listed when people search for Resolution on social media platforms.

Resources

Download the Good Practice Guide as a PDF